Exploring the Darkness
by EricaLorena
Summary: Naru/Sasu Yaoi. Naruto and Sasuke live in the same apartment building. And go to the same school. What happens when Naruto starts to question his sexuality? NaruSai at first but I promise it turns into SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1 Introductions

**Exploring the Darkness by Sasukelover154**

**Chapter 1: Introductions**

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So I came back to this story mainly because I need to write otherwise I will go crazy. I edited the chapters that were posted forever ago because honestly they sounded horrible I thought, so enjoy and if I get a good response there will be more to come!

Thank you for all of those who have read Beautiful Crimes. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about: GO READ IT!

I love you all a ton and let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer (I hate these, but I do not want to get sued): As always I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, blah blah blah blah blah…though I seriously wish I did.**

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Naruto glared out the windshield of his beat up navy blue car. All of his worldly possessions were packed into his trunk and back seat. Dull jade trees flashed passed outside his windows in a haze. The sky was an angry grey and translucent raindrops flecked his car as he fled down the street. It had been slightly raining ever since he had left, a prospect he didn't find too promising. The sides of the roads were built up with puddles of water. No animals would dare be scurrying about in this type of weather; they were all holed up in their respective homes.

When he pulled into the parking lot of his destination, a large apartment complex, the rain began to pour down in heavy sheets. He stepped out of his car and ran to the door of the complex. Even as he ran he was soaked through by the time he reached the door. Walking into the building he shook his head, water flew away from the tips of his spiky blonde hair, he tried to unstick a few of the pieces that had slapped him the face. His hair was just really a lost cause most of the time.

A kind faced woman met him once he was through the door. "Hello." She said. "I'm the landlord here. And might I add, welcome." She smiled warmly and stuck out her hand. She had shoulder length black hair and kind brown eyes; all together she could be seen as pretty cute. "My name is Shizune."

"Thank you." Said Naruto beaming as he shook her hand. "My name's Naruto."

"You're in apartment number thirteen on the third floor." She handed him a key, which he slipped into his pocket. "Let me know if you need anything at all, I live in the first apartment on this floor."

"Again thanks". He replied with a nod. She smiled again before heading behind her desk and into a room behind. With a groan Naruto headed back out into the heavy torrent of rain.

It took him four trips to get all of his things into the lobby and after taking a few minutes to rest on a box he had to them carry everything up the stairs and into his room. He set his boxes of clothes and books down in his bedroom and his movies and school things were placed in his combined kitchen and living room. Looking around his new apartment a dread began to sink in to his heart, putting a weight a on his chest. Tomorrow he would be starting a new school. He would be the inevitable "New Kid", and what a joy that would be.

Sighing Naruto began to put away his clothes into his closet. His wardrobe consisted mostly of different shades of orange/black/blue t-shirts, sweat shirts, and jeans. When he was all done putting away his clothes he changed into his pajamas and crawled into his newly made bed. He waited for sleep to come, staring out the window at the pouring rain until it made its appearance.

The dread that had settled itself around his throat had been replaced with an almost…excitement. Tomorrow would be a new adventure. A new beginning, something he had been craving for, for a long time. Finally, feeling a little more comfortable, Naruto fell into a light sleep.

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Sasuke stared out the rain speckled window of his apartment as the drops pelted the glass. Not more than two hours before hand a boy, couldn't have been older than Sasuke himself, clad in an unsightly bright orange sweater, had arrived at the complex. Just from looking at the boy he got a headache. There had been no news of a new arrival, but Sasuke didn't care much, he should have been in bed, for he had school the next day. He couldn't let his perfect four point oh grade point average slip over curiosity of some new guy in his building, that would be simply _ridiculous_.

After showering and getting his clothes ready for the upcoming monotony that would be another day in his boring high school, he finally settled himself down in the soft folds of his bed, and welcomed the sleep that would take him away from his dull life.

But there was a small part of him that felt…odd. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was a foreign feeling of incompleteness, like there was some small part of him that was missing, and the feeling didn't subside, not even in his dreams.

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When Naruto woke up the next morning it was his kind of weather. The sun was shining beautifully behind the few cottony white clouds. The blue sky was bright and clear. It was the kind of weather that he could go out in and play, and Naruto loved to play outside.

He awoke with a groan, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, not quite ready to get up and face the day at seven in the morning. Scrambling out of bed he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Once he was in the bathroom Naruto took a warm shower, partially to relax his nerves about the new school, partially to wake himself up a little bit more. After he jumped out and rubbed a towel through his spikey blonde locks. He headed back into his bedroom, and started to get dressed.

Surprisingly his new school had no uniforms, unlike the last one he had been to. He dressed in his favorite orange zip up jacket, and dark washed jeans. Finally, after a breakfast of an apple, from a kindly donated fruit basket, Naruto slipped on his orange tennis shoes, grabbed his backpack from the couch and headed out to his car.

He took the two flights of stairs two at a time. In the lobby Naruto noticed there was a boy, they had to be somewhere around the same age. Naruto hadn't been paying very close attention to where he was running. The boy was at the door, his hand on the handle when Naruto tripped over his own brightly colored shoe and only missed the hitting door because the boy was right in front of it. They tumbled down to the ground and onto the sidewalk. Even on the three minute walk from his apartment to his car, Naruto still managed to make a fool of himself.

The boy was fuming as he shoved Naruto off of him. Naruto noticed he was ghostly pale with black hair that appeared almost blue in places. His deep onyx eyes were narrowed into slits as he glared at Naruto before he stomped out into the buttery sunshine, and when he reached the parking lot, he slammed the door of his sleek black car.

Dumbfounded Naruto picked himself up and walked out to the parking lot, half expecting the pale boy to come out of nowhere and run his ass over. Sitting behind the wheel of his shiny navy car he twisted the key in the ignition and the car started with a loud purr. As he drove down the street Naruto turned up the volume of his favorite radio station. The music helped him keep his mind off the knots in his stomach.

The school wasn't very far, only a few minutes' drive from his apartment building. The building was red bricked and most of the parking lot was filled with the various cars of the students. He found a space that was relatively close to the front entrance, and began his walk to the doors.

The main office was a small, warm room. A desk was set in the center of the room, and behind was a wooden door, Naruto figured to be the principle's office. The school's floor seemed to have the simple generic carpeting that was found everywhere.

There was a heavy set woman sitting behind the desk and she was dressed in a green t-shirt. She smiled politely as he approached her; he smiled back his classic fox like grin.

"Hello." She greeted him. "You must be…" she glanced down at a slip of paper on her desk. "Naruto Uzumaki." Her eyebrows rose after she said this. "I have your schedule right here." She beckoned him forward and handed him a sheet of paper with all his classes, on the back was a roughly copied map of the school with all his classrooms highlighted.

Naruto listened dully to the usual speech of the school rules and guidelines, which eventually led to the professionally enthusiastic "I hope you enjoy it here." He smiled as naturally as he was able and walked as fast as he could to the door, while looking down at his schedule.

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_**AN: **_

So what did you all think? Did you like it? Should I continue? Let me know in a review please! I know this was short and I apologize, I promise it will get better.


	2. Chapter 2 Classmates

**Exploring the Darkness by Sasukelover154**

**Chapter 2: Classmates**

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I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter and will enjoy this as well, if I get a good response then there will be more to come so let me know your comments! Also I am always accepting of fannart, whether it be for this story or for my other one(Check it out if you don't know about it) so let me know if you want to make me something, I would appreciate it! Love you guys!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANYTHING ELSE IN HERE EXCEPT FOR MY THEME/PLOT THAT IS ALL MINES! MINES! MINES! MINES! AND I AM SORT OF PROUD OF IT! LMAO**

P.S: REVIEW PLEASE!

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Naruto's classes were all very simple, too simple in fact. History, math, English, gym, science. Was there even a point in giving him a schedule? Okay scratch that he needed to know _when_ and where his classes were, but the point was that it was all very generic. The classrooms were all clearly labeled, and students were filing past him to get to them before the bell. His locker number was number 232, and it was in the third hallway. The lockers weren't very big, about half the width of his shoulders, so he just kept his pack strapped firmly on his back, he had seen other kids doing it, and so he figured he could too.

His first class was English, ugh. He already knew the basis of grammar didn't he? How much more could there be to learn, was it not enough that he could speak coherently and people could understand him? Apparently not. The teacher was a kind faced man, with his chocolate brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail on the crown of his head, a gentle gaze from equally gentle eyes and a thin scar across his nose. He smiled warmly as Naruto entered the class, and approached him with a book entitled "English 11" on the cover and side. The book was heavy and he covertly wrinkled his nose at it but returned the teachers smile with one of his own.

"Hello Naruto." The teacher greeted. "I am and this is English 11 as you no doubt have noticed. You may sit right there." He pointed to a desk that was in the front row, towards the middle. "That's Sakura," a girl with short bubblegum pink hair and jade green eyes looked up at the sound of the name, "and Hinata." A girl with short blackish hair and pale violet eyes looked up, locked eyes with him, and blushed a bright red that made Naruto want to snicker. "They don't bite." He laughed a little and gave Naruto a nudge towards the assigned desk in the middle of the two girls.

Naruto sat down at his appointed desk and dropped the book down in front of him. The sound that spread from the collision caused several people in the class to jump in surprise or sleepiness. Naruto smirked. He grabbed a pencil from his bag along with an orange notebook. He opened the notebook to the first blank page that he came to. The bubblegum haired girl, Sakura, looked over at him curiously. Glancing over at her quickly, he realized that she was actually a cute girl, and looked as though she could be kind if she wanted to. And it looked like she wanted to be nice to him, so he could be nice to her back.

Sakura smiled at him a little and then turned her attention back to the front of the class where was now standing and smiling at them fondly, did he think they were his children or something? Probably. The guy looked nice but he sort of came off to Naruto as a guy who was secretly a pedophile and who wanted to rape them or the kind of guy that became a teacher because he wasn't able to have children. A shiver ran quickly up his spine. He looked down at his notebook and tried to get his mind away from mid-twenty-year-olds raping little kids, and news reports of teachers having "innocent" relationships with their students. That was just wrong and he didn't want to be thinking about it in class, or really just ever.

The class seemed to drone on. When it finally ended, with a bell that sounded like it had nasal congestion, Naruto practically sprinted to the door with his book bag in hand, and out into the throng of kids milling about the halls and to their next classes. It was a sea of unfamiliar faces, each with their own unique features, but you could tell those that were from the same families, they looked a little similar. Naruto had five minutes to get to a class that was just down the hall. With no friends yet to distract him he didn't have stop on the way.

His next class was, ugh, the dreaded and ever useless history class. How many of them were actually going to go into a field that involved history? He didn't even bother to pay attention in that class; he didn't even bother learning the teacher's _name_, really what was the point? He would probably use the hour to sleep in the later days of the year, who actually _did_ anything in that class anyway? The classroom alone smelt as if it had been erected one hundred years ago not to mention the boring curriculum itself. It reeked of that gross combination of old people, dust, and cheap teenage perfume.

By the time it was third hour, Naruto was thoroughly bored with his new school. He had Algebra 2 and he was now able to identify some students in his other classes like Sakura, the human gum ball, who seemed to be in all of Naruto's classes. They were covering material that Naruto had covered in the previous school he had been in. It was incredibly boring to study material that he had already studied…but it did make things easier, after all he already knew it, therefore he didn't need to do anything in class. How dull, another hour with nothing to do.

Lunch, every boy's favorite time of the day. The time of day where girls "innocently" try and flirt with the opposite sex, or same sex if they're like that, guys fling whatever is on their plates at each other's faces, and nerdy weakling's trip over a jocks foot and their trays go flying, some time's into someone's face. How much of a classic sitcom cliché is that? But that's exactly what it was like walking in to the cafeteria of the high school. He only just missed getting attacked by a half filled plastic lemonade bottle chucked in his direction when he entered. He growled in the direction that it had come hoping to scare whoever had thrown it.

"Naru_to_! Over _here_!" someone yelled through the masses of high school students once he was out of the line with his food. Turning in the direction of the voice he saw Sakura waving a hand over her head and smiling at him from across the cafeteria. Raising an eyebrow he walked swiftly over to where she was sitting. She was sitting with a group of students that he recognized from a few of his morning classes. They're names were all fairly simple when Sakura introduced them but Naruto didn't want to pay attention at that moment. It was lunch time, he was hungry and he had food, what person could _actually_ get a guy to focus at a time like this, let alone Naruto?

The other students were naturally curious about him. They asked him questions, which he politely answered through bites of the moderately edible school food. Usually Naruto was the kind of guy who would talk a subject to death when ever given the chance, but at the moment he found himself answering the questions as vaguely as possible, leaving out major details, and skipping over parts that didn't matter. What was the matter with him today?

He wasn't usually so…_bitter_. This Naruto was not exactly acting like he was supposed to. Usually he smiled constantly, laughed at the smallest things, and made friends, and wanted to be friends, with everyone. Unceremoniously he blamed it on the move. Moving from one city to the next so suddenly and frequently, just made him become a little distant at first when meeting people, it was just better in case he had to move again soon. In due time he would be more friendly, but not the first day. Never the first day. The first day was always the hardest and most boring of all.

Lunch soon ended and Naruto slipped away from the table quickly with ease. With his bag slung back over one shoulder he made his way out of the cafeteria and in to the gymnasium. It would be so much fun, having gym right after lunch for the rest of the year, nearly puking because of the forced physical activity after eating. Naruto entered the gym and crossed to the door labeled "Boy's locker room". He pushed open the door and his toe caught the unusually large door jamb. Naruto stumbled forward the five or six feet to the lockers and collided with another human body, a boy to be specific.

The boy was, Naruto noticed right off the bat, shirtless and in the process of taking off his pants to change. Also Naruto noticed it was the same boy from that morning. The boy who obviously lived in his apartment complex. The boy who was now pinned under his body against his gym locker with his jeans around his ankles, shirtless, and a threatening growl working deep in his throat. For some reason Naruto felt his heart hammering against his ribs, and a very faint pink working against his whisker marked cheeks. What was wrong with him today?

"You…You're the guy from this morning!" Naruto gasped, and his eyebrows rose. "The ass that shoved me away this morning after I _tripped_!" he remembered the way the boy's darkened eyes looked when they glared at him, the way the dusky brows angled down over his eyes, no doubt the exact way he would have been looking now given the chance. The perfect expression of loathing. Naruto settled into glaring at the back of the boy's head, it was not _nearly_ as intimidating as the other's, and he cursed himself for not being able to be as threatening.  
>"Get the hell off me you fricking pervy klutz!" the boy shoved himself away from the locker and pushed his bare back into Naruto's chest. "I know you're new here and all but you should try to not rape someone when you meet them for the first time, it's not very polite." He growled, stepping out of his jeans and pulling on navy mesh shorts. "And just by the way, doors are meant for walking through, and lockers are meant to hold your shit, not smashing people into." The boy smirked a little and turned around to pick up his white t-shirt. At that moment a crowd of guys entered through the door.<p>

Naruto walked away from the boy scowling and got a locker as far away from him as he possibly could. _What the hell is that guy's problem? I didn't do anything to him! It was a fucking accident! It's not like he's permanently injured or anything, I didn't traumatize him for life! _ He stripped off his pants and shirt and donned his bright orange shorts and a black t-shirt. _I fucking hate that kid. _He slammed the door of his locker ferociously and turned back to face the door with a scowl set on his features. "Bastard." He muttered stepping out into the gym.

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Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for class to begin. In his peripheral vision he saw the blonde boy exit the locker room and stand as far as possible from him. "Dumb ass." Sasuke murmured as the teacher began roll call. _That kid is such a freak! Where does he get off yelling at _me_? He's the one who practically broke my ribs twice in one day! _Sasuke seethed in his head. _I fucking hate that kid. He's become such a pest and it's only his first day!_

"Here." Sasuke called in a bored voice when his name was called. Was anybody ever really gone? They were told to run a few laps around the gym just to get warmed up. Then it was time for the real torture of the day. Basketball. It wasn't that Sasuke wasn't good at basketball, he was good at practically anything and everything, he just didn't like the sport very much.

Thankfully Naruto was on a separate team from Sasuke; the downside was that they still had to play against each other, as opponents. Sasuke had to admit it: Naruto was a great basketball player. Maybe not exactly the right height, but he was definitely had a good jump shot, and damn that kid was fast. Was he secretly the Energizer Bunny in disguise or was he simply a grade A spazz? Probably the latter.

The other team, Naruto's team, was made up of: Naruto, Sai, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sakura. Sasuke's team was: Him, Ino, Shino, Neji, and Rock Lee. Surprisingly, they were pretty well matched. The game was mostly played by Naruto and Sai, and Sasuke and Neji. They seemed to be playing tag with the points. Right after one team would score a point so did the other. It was getting quite intense when the class started winding down.

Naruto and Sai kept passing the ball to each other. Sai was also very swift and could weave through the players easily, while Naruto always seemed to be in an open spot within a second. The two made a great team by themselves, they could have whipped half of the class's ass by themselves.

Sai was a boy who _everybody_ knew was gay, he didn't bother to hide it, he had told everyone, not bothering to keep it a secret, he really didn't care. Today in gym he was wearing a skin tight white t-shirt, accentuating a well defined chest and stomach, and hot pink mesh shorts that were too short and tight on the butt for a straight guy to be wearing.

Finally at the end of the gym class they were forced to call it a tie. Sai gave Naruto an all-too-affectionate hug and they walked to the locker room together, chatting with small smiles on their faces. Sasuke bounced the basketball in his hands absentmindedly as he strode over to the cart with the other balls. After replacing it in the bin he made his way into the locker room to get dressed again.

Sasuke dressed quickly and stalked out of the locker room, he heard most of the boys behind him laughing as they followed him out into the hallway. As he walked he unconsciously rubbed his ribs, they were still sore from being slammed into his locker. His heart rate multiplied and the muscle began pounding against his surely bruised ribs as he saw Naruto and Sai pass him, still chatting happily as if they had been best friends forever rather than just meeting. Sasuke assured himself that it was just a delayed reaction of the game, and the burning feeling that had begun to bubble its way up his throat at the sight of them just heartburn, surely caused by something he had eaten at lunch.

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"Hey Naruto?" Sai asked curiously as they walked into the classroom of their fifth hour, they had the same one. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, so Naruto sat in the only empty spot with Sai sitting on top of his desk casually. "Since you're new in town I'm guessing you haven't been to our movie theater yet, have you?" the class around them was talking loudly and Sai had to lean down a little to be heard by Naruto.

"No I haven't." admitted Naruto. He leaned back in his chair and rested his forearm against the back turning more to face Sai. "Why? You got something in mind?" he asked. He tipped back, balancing the chair on its hind legs as he spoke.

"I just wanted to maybe take you to a show tomorrow, as a welcome to town gift from a new friend." He smiled warmly. "But you don't have to go if you think it would be like awkward or something." Sai looked completely sincere in his request.

"No! I think that would be fun!" Naruto grinned. "Where's the theater, and what do you want to see?"

Sai gave the address of the theater. "You can pick the movie, if you want." He offered.

"Nope, you invited me; you're already supposed to have a movie picked out!" Naruto teased with one of his classic grins.

Sai laughed. "Alright alright." He chuckled. "How about we go see that new scary movie, everybody here's been talking about it for months." His voice dropped until it was just below a whisper, Naruto had to lean forward a little just to hear him. "It's supposed to be so scary that you won't want to leave you're house for a month."

Naruto raised his eyebrows appreciatively. "Is that so? Well I can't wait!" Naruto exclaimed as the bell rung over head. "Hey…don't you want to go to your seat before the teacher comes?" he asked looking at Sai curiously.

"No." Sai laughed. "'Mr. Hatake doesn't ever come in for at least ten more minutes with some lame ass excuse about why he's late, so don't worry." Naruto beamed up at him, and laughed along.

They conversed for a little while longer until, a tall man with an, and Naruto usually didn't say this sort of thing, _gorgeous_ face. This man was their science teacher! He had dangerously spiked silvery grey hair, and dark eyes, but a surprisingly kind smile. Another pedophile perhaps? Naruto snickered a little under his breath and stifled it behind his hand.

The class soon ended and Sai meet Naruto at his desk after the bell rang. They walked out of the door, and Naruto shared with him his theory of the two teachers being pedophiles, he had to stop several times because he was laughing.

"Actually," Sai began. "Those two teachers, Mr. Umino and , are gay. They actually live next door to me; I see them on my way to school every day."  
>"Oh really?" Naruto gasped obviously shocked, Sai looked over at him a little too seriously for the present atmosphere. "Sorry, I'm not homophobic or anything, honest." Sai seemed to brighten up a little at this.<p>

"Anyway, yeah and I guess they have been for a while now. As far as I know, they moved in to 's house a couple of years ago, when I was in the 9th grade. People have gotten used to it by now, but occasionally there will be one set of parents who won't let their kids be taught by them because of how they chose to live." He sighed. "It's a little sad that some people think so old fashioned like that." Naruto agreed. "Now a days it's not uncommon to see to random boys making out in the park!"

"Well, it's their own fault for not accepting someone the way they are. Take you for example Sai!" They were entering their next class, which again surprisingly they had together. "I wouldn't care if you were straight, gay, bi, or even a cross dresser! You're my new friend, and I don't care who or what you like." He smiled and took a seat, not bothering to see the teacher. If he was told to move then so be it.

Sai also smiled as he took his seat.

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_**AN:**_

So again this chapter is short but I did like it, mostly because of Sai's flirting and just obnoxious gayness! Naruto ended up being bitchy in the beginning and I'm sorry, but towards the end he gets better, which is good. So what will happen on their movie "date"? Stay tuned to find out!  
>Also please review, I want to know what you guys have to say! Do you like Sai being gay? What about KakaIru? What's good and what could use improvement? Let me know!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3 Dark Theaters

**Exploring the Darkness by Sasukelover154**

**Chapter 3: Dark Theaters**

So how did we like the last chapter? Well I hope if you liked that one that you will like this one as well, and if you didn't like that one then I hope you like this one at least. So that's it for the updating three times in one night, I'm sorry guys but from now on it's not editing previous chapters its actually writing, but I'm hoping to still be able to update reasonably quickly.

Please review and let me know what you like! Remember: Your reviews make updates come faster, so if you want a fast update then you better review. Love you all!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANYTHING ELSE IN HERE EXCEPT FOR MY THEME/PLOT THAT IS ALL MINES! MINES! MINES! MINES! AND I AM SORT OF PROUD OF IT! LMAO**

**Warnings: **Same as always. Language, maybe a little "violence" I guess…implied butt rape… gayness…lol

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The second day passed the same as the first. Boring, repetitive, boring, dull, and did he mention boring? Seriously was the school trying to set a record for most boring days of school in a row? But boring curriculum aside, Naruto had to admit that on the second day of school he was beginning to like it there. It was his favorite school by far, and he had been to quite a few schools in his time.

As the bell signaling the end of school rang over his head Naruto jumped to his feet and grinned to himself. Sai met him by his desk and they walked down the hall together. They were chatting happily about their plans to go to the movies that night.

Today Sai was sporting a band t-shirt that showed off the muscles in his arms, chest and stomach. His black jeans clung to his legs over the bright blue tennis shoes stuck on his feet. His raven black hair was cropped short in the back and his bangs curtain the sides of his face nicely. There was a single silver band on his right thumb, and on his left write hung several rubber bracelets.

"When do you want to meet me there? I checked the movie times and I thought a good show time was the 8:20, is that okay with you?" Sai asked as they were approaching the doors leading out of the building. "I'm pretty flexible when it comes to things like movie times."

"That sounds like the perfect time to me." Naruto replied with a smile as they descended the stairs. "So I'll me you there say…8:05?" they were nearing the end of the sidewalk leading out to the streets when they stopped.

"Sounds good." Sai grinned and turned around. "See you tonight Naruto!" he called over his shoulder with a jubilant wave, as he proceeded down the sidewalk.

Naruto began his walk to the student parking lot feeling much better than he had at that time the previous day. He unlocked his car door, and climbed in. With the key in the ignition the car started with a dull hum underneath the hood. He pulled smoothly out of the parking lot and into the streets nearly empty of cars.  
>The streets surrounding the area from his school and his apartment complex were teeming with kids in the afternoon, and into the evening. One had to exercise extra caution not to run one of the said kids over….no matter how many times they stupidly ran out in front of his car chasing after a fluorescently colored ball. The kids ranged from four to older than him. Occasionally you would see a mother or father run out in to the middle of the street to catch their son or daughter, and give an apologetic wave to the driver of the vehicle who had to slam on their brakes to strop from running over said retarded spawn.<p>

He pulled into the parking lot of his complex and yanked the keys out of the ignition with an exasperated huff, and slung his bag over his shoulder. Climbing out of his car, with his backpack strap gripped tightly in his fist, Naruto saw the driver of the silky black car that he had parked next to. It was that Sasuke kid, the kid from his new school, the boy he had slammed through door, the boy he had pinned against a locker, and the boy he had discovered a deep disdain for in the past forty-eight hours.

There was a tense bubble of silence surrounding them as they glared at each other through the lazy afternoon sun. Naruto slammed his door shut with a loud thump that rattled the glass and folded his arms over his chest. Sasuke threw his messenger bag strap over his shoulder and proceeded on in his walk into the apartment building with a lingering glare on Naruto as he opened the door as if deliberately showing how easy it was to do so without damaging anyone.

In his blind rage Naruto didn't notice that he was dragging his backpack by the strap until he was at the door leading into the complex. With a growl he pushed the strap over his shoulder and continued on into the building.

By the time he had reached his apartment on the third floor Naruto was slightly calmer. With a sigh, that sounded a bit more like a growl, he plopped down on his couch and closed his eyes. _What the hell is going on? I have no clue what the fuck that guy's problem is! People make fucking mistakes! I'm a clumsy person and he just writes it off as me trying to rape him? Who would want to rape that asshole, literally? Dumb bastard…Wait…Why do I even care? I don't need a jackass like that! Wow that sounded a little weird. But I shouldn't care what he thinks. _He gave a stubborn nod and set his jaw defiantly. _I will _not_ think of him anymore… tonight at least. _Naruto sat there for a few hours, when he finally looked at the clock it read at half past six.

After having a quick dinner of Ramen, his favorite food on the fucking planet, Naruto decided he would take a shower to calm down more. The hot water felt good on his tanned skin as it relaxed all the tension in his body, and washed Sasuke from his mind. He got out of the shower and turned back into his room, a towel knotted loosely around his hips.

Naruto looked leisurely in his closet for something acceptable to wear to the movies. Finally he decided on a pair of his dark jeans, a single ratty hole on the left knee, a black t-shirt, and his bright orange jacket with a small fox embroidered on the right sleeve cuff, he left it unzipped. He took his wallet out of the pocket of his other jeans and transferred it to the butt pocket of his current ones. Tossing his previous clothes and towel in the hamper, Naruto walked out of his bedroom.

It was a few minutes to eight as Naruto exited the apartment building and made his way to his car. He was careful not to notice that the damn raven's fancy ass vehicle wasn't next to his when he sat in the seat.

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Sasuke's hands tensed on the steering wheel as he half sped down the street; thank God there were no annoying cops around. He passed by the beach. Looking out at the sun he saw it had almost fully set now. The sky was tinted a nice translucent pink with just a hint of purple towards the top, and the clouds were a light fluffy orange scattered across the blood red sun on the horizon; undoubtedly it would be a clear night.

He had been able to silence the many thoughts of the blonde… that is until they met in that godforsaken parking lot; since then the damned blonde had been assaulting his mind.

He touched the power window button and lowered his window about halfway. The warm evening air gusted through the now open space and blew his ebony bangs into his eyes, which he ignored as he always did when things like this happened; admittedly when you had hair like he did this happened _a lot_.

It took nearly all Sasuke had _not_ to turn around and try and run over that fair haired bastard no matter where he was. He concentrated on evening out his heavy breathing as he passed by teenagers running on the beach, their laughs reaching him through his window. Coming up to a deserted part of the beach he pulled into a nearby parking lot and took the keys out of the ignition. He merely sat back against the slick leather of the seat, his head against the headrest, his eyes closed, and hands tense on the wheel.  
>He had his hand on the door handle, but after a few moments he decided not to get out of his car. Knowing his luck he would've happened upon one of his fan girlish stalkers and would be forced to go skinny-dipping with them, or on a "romantic walk", a shudder ran quickly down his spine. So he stayed in his car and glared out of his window at the sunset, thoughts of the new blonde creeping in again.<p>

As he was looking out at the windshield he saw two distinct silhouettes. It was quite obvious that they were both male from their statures, and posture. They were turned out toward the lake, gazing at the sunset. Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly when they turned back onto the sidewalk, he was slightly surprised to see that it was two of his teachers and holding hands no less.

Normally the two high school teachers didn't go out very often, most likely they were in their house most of the time doing…whatever it was they did all the time, so it was very rare to see them out and about…_together_ at least. Suddenly feeling like an intruder or maybe a Peeping Tom, Sasuke twisted the keys back into the ignition and smoothly pulled out of the parking lot. Shaking his head, Sasuke continued down the street.

It seemed that the image of the two teachers was burned into the surface of his brain, he just couldn't shake it. It was like, and he would never admit it…it was like he was jealous. Sasuke had never been jealous before, not since he was little and jealous of his older brother Itachi because he got to stay up later and do more. This feeling was foreign to him, like the mars rover to the alien red surface. What the hell was he jealous of? Was it the sex? God no! He could get any girl, or gay male within a five country radius to let him fuck them with a snap of his long pale fingers, so obviously the two banging each other into the mattress every night was not the cause of his jealousy. Being openly gay? He internally smacked himself for even _thinking_ something like that. Sasuke Uchiha was not by any means gay in any way, shape, or form. Then what the hell was it? …And then it hit him. There it was plain and simple. Love. They loved each other. That four letter word seemed to change everything. There was a sharp pang in his heart as he thought of the word. He hadn't even been able to barely think of the word since he was seven years old. He gritted his teeth together as his toe edged the gas more.

Without realizing it Sasuke ended up in front of the movie theater. Heaving a sigh he yanked the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of his car. He hadn't been to see a movie in months so he decided that a good old horror movie would do him some good.

At ten after eight Sasuke got in line to buy his ticket. The lobby was half way full of various teenagers and ranging young adults. Since Sasuke had skipped dinner he chose to buy a small bag of popcorn and a bottle of water. His eyes narrowed into slits as he weaved through the course crowd of people swarming around the ticket taker.

Sasuke walked down the dimly lit hallway until he found the theater his movie was in. The theater was large and the oversized screen was illuminated with promotional videos for local businesses and talking snacks encouraging you to visit the snack bar. Tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth he searched for a seat. There was a halfway empty row towards the middle of the theater on the left side, he twisted his way through the people and snatched a seat towards the middle of the row.

With a sigh he unscrewed the bottle of his water and took a sip. He set the bottle down in the drink holder and ate a few more pieces of popcorn. The previews were the same generic ones that seem to be played at all the movie theaters, along with a few scattered movie trailers. Finally the lights began to dim and the screen went blank for a second before it was illuminated again.

As soon as the movie started a reasonably pretty teenaged girl was murdered. Sasuke rested his elbow on the armrest to his right and gently laid his chin in his palm. The movie only half kept his interest. About thirty minutes into the movie Sasuke began to scan the crowd in front of him. There was a middle aged woman with a peculiar hat. _Who the hell lets an older woman like her out of the house with a fucking insane mini tiger-bunny-duck's ass on crack perched on top of her head? Does she even have a mirror to show her the train wreck on her skull? _After he had gotten done with inwardly insulting the woman's hat, his eyes began to roam once again over the crowd. His eyes came upon the smooth raven head of Sai, a few rows in front of him, and not a second later the disorienting spiky mass of blonde hair that could only belong to that infuriating blonde, Naruto.

After the run in with their gay teachers, the "friends" seemed to be sitting a bit too close for Sasuke's comfort, and Sai seemed to be inching his way closer. Sasuke begun to realize that he was studying the pair intensely. Sai's arm began to slowly creep up the armrest and onto the back of the blonde's theater seat, hand curling down slightly to almost touch the blonde's shoulder. He seemed to be leaning his torso against the armrest, in which his arm had once before been "resting", trying to get closer to the blonde, who seemed too lost in the movie to care who was touching him.

Sai leaned in a little closer to whisper something in the blonde's ear, or so it appeared that way until the blonde turned his head, their lips just an inch apart, their noses close to touching. Sai began to slowly lean in millimeter by millimeter, as the blonde sat frozen. Sasuke clutched the bag of popcorn in his left hand and suddenly had an impulse.

Sasuke switched the hands his popcorn was in and with a sudden surge of hatred; he hurled the bag through the air, nailing Sai square in the side of his face. The kernels spilled from the bag, and flew into the blonde's hair and onto the already sticky floor. With a growl of rage that could be heard from where Sasuke sat, Sai twisted around in his seat to see who had thrown the snack. Luck was on Sasuke's side. The part of the movie they had currently switched to was very dark and dank, so dark that not a thing could be seen.

Letting out an unknown held breath, Sasuke was slightly panicking inside. _What the hell did I just do? I…just threw my popcorn at that Sai kid because he was going to kiss the blonde with his flaming gay ass lips? No, no, I obviously did it because…I don't like seeing things like that in public…they can ass rape each other all they want in their houses. _He was able to calm himself down considerably and when the final scene was finished and the screen went blank Sasuke was out of the theater like a bat out of hell before the credits began to roll.

Sasuke's pace didn't slow until he had gone out of the theater and gotten into his car. His breathing was heavy and labored as he tried to steady his speeding heartbeat. He shoved the keys into the ignition and tried to rid his mind of the past hour and a half. When the car started with a low purr he hastily pulled out of the parking lot and sped as fast as he could out of the dark parking lot, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel under a vice grip.

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Naruto climbed out of his used car and into the chilly twilight air. He began the walk up the inclined path to the theater entrance. He found Sai waiting out front, leaning against the hard outside wall. He smiled widely when he saw Naruto making his way up to him and shrugged away when Naruto reached him.

"Hey Naruto, I'm glad you could make it! So you found the place okay then?" Sai chuckled, as they pushed open the double doors into the lobby.

"You're directions were a little too complicated for me, but I eventually made it." Naruto laughed. The carpet was a nice commercial plush as they walked through the lobby and up to the ticket booth.

"Two student tickets please." Sai said handing over a twenty dollar bill. The worker gave them a generic smile as she gave him the tickets and Sai's change.

"Sai, why did you pay for my ticket? I have the money for it." Naruto's eyebrows drew together as he took the ticket Sai was holding out to him.  
>"It's your 'Welcome to the city' gift." Sai shrugged with a smirk.<p>

"Oh…Well thanks," Naruto had never had anyone who bought him stuff so easily like this…it felt a little…odd… _Wow Sai is really nice. I half expected him to at least let me pay for my own food and stuff,_

Sai also bought them each a medium popcorn and drink at the concessions stand. They began their walk to theater number three, the largest one Sai informed him. "Do you care about where we sit?" Sai asked when they walked through the large, dark, double doors. Naruto shook his head.

They decided to sit in the row almost in the middle on the left side of the theater. The theater wasn't as full as he would have expected for a movie just released, but most of the rows were at least halfway full. They wedged their way to a seat a little towards the right of the row.

Naruto began to munch on his salty popcorn as the screen flashed advertisements. After a while they both began to get bored with the previews and started to throw pieces at a woman's obviously fake hair. The kernels got tangled in the wig, and very few fell out from the black curls. Both of them had to muffle their laughter by smothering their mouths with their hands, their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

Finally the lights dimmed and the screen went dark for a moment. Naruto jumped a little when the theater erupted with a sudden shrill scream from the screen. He could hear Sai's stifled mirth next to him again and he slapped his shoulder.

A woman's harsh hisses made them smirk but reluctantly sit back in their seats. Naruto went back to his happy munching as the movie slowly progressed. Naruto began to get so into the movie that he didn't notice Sai's intense stare through one third of the film.

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Sai looked over at the lovely blonde boy next to him. _Jesus Naruto is _so_ gorgeous! I can't believe that I'm here with him right now, I mean he's right next to me, literally less than twelve inches from me. _He had the strongest urge to just cross that small foot distance and touch the unknowing seductive blonde. He crossed his arms across his chest and gripped his ribs to stop himself from most likely attempting to rape the beautiful sun kissed blonde.

The movie seemed to be taking forever and when he reached inside his pocket to check his cell phone he noticed that the movie was only almost half over. Finally his instinct took over and he lost control over his body.

Sai shifted in his seat so his left elbow was resting on the top of his seat. Gradually he was able to creep his hand over on the seat to just above Naruto's shoulder. He scooted his butt over on the seat so he was slightly closer to the blonde, their shoulders touching. Had it not been for Naruto being so intent on the movie Sai probably wouldn't have had the courage to make these moves on him. Sai began to twist somewhat in his place so he was more angled towards Naruto and pressed almost against the armrest.

Naruto's eyes were the size of quarters, his eyebrows raised in fright, as he stared at the screen, his popcorn held limply in his left hand. He was hunched over in his seat slightly.

Sai leaned in a little more and his lips were just barely two inches from the luscious blonde's ear. His heart hammered against his ribs and it made his breath race up his throat. _If I were to just grab the back of his head, gently of course, I could make his head swivel around and I could kiss him! _Barely five seconds had passed since Sai had leaned in, when Naruto's head began to turn in his direction.

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Naruto was completely focused on the movie when he felt a distinct breath on is ear. _What…What the hell? What is that noise? _ He rotated his head in the direction he heard the noise from and found Sai's face no less than an inch away. Slowly Sai began to incline his head. _Whoa whoa whoa! What is going on! Sai is like really close to my face! Is he gay or something? What the hell is this!_

Suddenly there was the sound of a crumpling bag and in the next second a bag of popcorn hit Sai in the side of his face. The popcorn from the bag fell out and overflowed onto his head and on the floor. A feral growl snarled through between Sai's teeth and he whipped around in his seat to see the person who had thrown the bag. The theater went dark at that second and it was impossible to see anyone or thing. Sai returned back to his original position and remained there for the rest of the film.

Naruto turned back towards the movie screen and tried to refocus his thoughts on what was happening…unfortunately it was a futile attempt.

_What the hell just happened!_

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Ok I can't be the only one who was fantasying about Naruto in a steamy bathroom with nothing on but a towel right? That's what I thought.

So guys what did you like? Not like? Do we like the gay Sai? Do we like the almost kiss then Sai becoming really pissed? Do we like Sasuke being a little jealous? Do we hate me and everything I write? Let me know in a review please, your reviews will make me update faster because I will know I am not just writing for my own good here.

Also if you guys have any ideas that you think would be good, you should tell me about them, maybe I'll put them in!

_**Please review!**_ It would mean the world to me! Also if you have any questions about something I wrote I would be happy to explain for you.

Farewell dear readers! I love you all!


	4. Chapter 4 Accidents

Exploring the Darkness by sasukelover154

Chapter Four

So what have you guys thought so far? Tell me what you like and tell me what you don't. I really like knowing! So I actually don't know what will become of this, I'm just kind of going by wherever I happen to be going at the time, I have no real plot in mind, well kind of, but not really. If you guys have any suggestions you can always tell me and I will consider!

I love you guys! Remember: If you want a fast update you should review because then I will know that you want me to continue with it and I will try and get it done as fast as I can!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot!

Enjoy guys, and let me know your thoughts please!

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Naruto rubbed at his eyes when the lights came on overhead. Sai was stretching his arms out above him as Naruto went to stand. They grabbed their popcorn containers and soda cups as they walked down the aisle. _What the hell happened during the movie? Sai almost seemed like he wanted to kiss me, how weird would that have been? There was probably just something on my face or something stupid like that. Probably no reason to be worried at all._ They tossed their rubbish in the trash bin and walked out to the theater lobby, Naruto carefully putting his hands in the pockets of his sweater.

"So Naruto, it's only ten thirty, did you still want to do something?" Sai asked as they walked out of the doors and into the chilly night, Naruto couldn't help but notice that he sounded almost hopeful.

"I think I'm actually just going to go home, I mean we have school tomorrow, so I'd like to get some sleep sometime soon." Naruto said with a slight shrug, trying his best not to sound like he was avoiding spending more time with Sai.

"Yeah, that's cool; I understand that, no problem." Sai said with an understanding smile. "I'll walk you to your car." Naruto nodded in agreement.

The air around them was slightly chilly, he was glad he had worn a sweater that night. The sky was a clear dark blanket, nestled with shining silver stars. There were no clouds troubling the sky, nothing to get in the way of their eyes on the stars. After walking down the sidewalk to the nearly empty lot, they found Naruto's car. They were just up to the driver's side door when Naruto turned to face Sai.

"Sai, don't you drive?" He asked with a furrow in his brows, he had just realized that he had never seen Sai in the parking lot or with a set of car keys.

"I don't actually, I usually just walk everywhere." Sai responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Do you want me to drive you home? It's no trouble. It's pretty cold out here." Naruto was genuinely concerned about Sai, it was very chilly outside, and he didn't know how far away Sai lived, for all he knew Sai could live on the outskirts of town! And that would just be a bitch to walk to.

"It's alright, I don't live that far, and besides, I like walking home at night. It's peaceful." Sai sighed and flashed him a smile.

"But Sai, its cold out here, come on, just let me drive you already. Get in the car." Naruto set a determined look on his face and went to grab his keys from his pocket.

That was when Sai did the unexpected. Sai grabbed his wrist in a gentle grip and cradled the back of Naruto's head with his other hand. Before Naruto could do anything about it, Sai was kissing him gently, not forcefully, but with care, being careful not to put too much pressure on him. After a long moment, Sai pulled away and let go of his wrist. With a smile in his eyes, Sai took a step back and bite his lip.

"That should keep me warm on the way home. See you tomorrow, Naruto." And with a slight wave Sai turned around and began walking on the sidewalk.

In a daze, Naruto grabbed the keys from his pocket and opened his car door. Settling himself down in the seat he turned the key in the ignition and turned the heat on full blast, waiting for it to warm him.

Naruto brought a hand up to his lips and let a finger trace the shape. "What the _hell_ was that?" He asked to himself in the car. "And why did I kind of _like_ it?"

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Sasuke paced around his apartment after the movie, talking to himself.

"That was so fucking disgusting! That creep-ass Sai nearly _kissed _Naruto! What the hell was he thinking! He can't just go around randomly kissing new boys! He can't just do that! Does he have any morals at all? Or will he just bang anything with a nice ass? What the fuck is his problem! That's not right! He can't just treat people like that!" He ran his hands through his raven spikes a few times.

"Wait. Why do I even care what he does with Naruto? I don't. They can go off and frolic and be gay all they want, but I do_ not_ need to see that when I am trying to watch my fucking movie! I mean seriously! The least Sai could have done would be to have waited until they were in the parking lot or something! Not in a place where there is a near theater full of people watching you! What does he just get off on being an exhibitionist? That's just disgusting." Sasuke was suddenly very tired. He sat down on his couch and put his head in his hands. "I don't know why I'm reacting like this." He said quietly to himself. "It's not like I care about either of them." He rubbed at his face for a moment, trying not to let himself think.

From his living room window Sasuke could hear the slam of a car door. _That must be Naruto coming home from his 'date' with Sai._ He pushed himself up off the couch to go over to the window and look.

Sasuke was on the second floor, so he wasn't too far up to see some details of Naruto. As he was walking he could tell that Naruto had his blonde brows furrowed in thought, slightly biting on his lower lip. _Maybe Sai kissed him after all. _Sasuke looked down on him in disgust for just a moment. _At least I didn't have to see it, I probably would have puked._ He turned away from the window, not wanting to look at Naruto anymore.

_I'm just going to go to bed, I've got school tomorrow, I would hate to not get my full night's rest just because that bastard is making me think about stupid things._ With a huff he turned from the window and walked to his bedroom so that he could begin his preparations for bed.

When he was finally tucked away in bed, Sasuke had trouble falling asleep. There was some nagging sensation in the back of his head that wouldn't let him stop thinking.

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Naruto walked into his building biting his lip in thought. _What's wrong with me? Why did I like kissing Sai? I'm not gay, I shouldn't have liked it. I've had girlfriends before, we've fooled around a little bit, so wouldn't I have known beforehand if I liked guys? _Do_ I even like guys? Or am I just mistaking the feeling of friendship that I feel for Sai? Does Sai even like me? Or an I just a challenge for him? Ahh, fuck. I don't even know that I'm thinking of anymore._ He slammed his door shut behind him and threw the keys onto the coffee table in front of the couch.

He ran his hands through his hair as he stomped back into his bedroom. He tossed all of his clothes on the floor and fished his pajamas from out of the messy tangle of sheets. He slipped the clothes on, and after getting ready for bed, he climbed underneath the blankets and closed his eyes.

But sleep didn't come. He lay back in his bed, his mind still positively reeling with what had happened that night. He was awake until the very wee hours of the morning when his brain and body were finally too tired to make him listen to his rampant thoughts anymore. The very last thing he could remember was thinking: _what the hell am I going to do?_

He woke in the morning feeling as if he hadn't slept in a month. _I'm so glad today is Friday; otherwise I probably just wouldn't survive. I feel as if I am about to die. I barely even slept last night. I need a long, hot shower if I am going to get anything done today._

That's what he did. He took a long hot shower, letting the water relax his muscles and pull some of the tension from his body. He took so long in fact that when he got out he realized that if he didn't get out of the house in a few minutes he would be late for school. He dried off his hair and body as fast as he could and when he was done he tossed on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, slipping on his shoes just before walking out of his room.

He grabbed his keys off of the coffee table and swung his backpack over his shoulder. _Well if one thing wakes me up, it's nearly being late for school._ He said to himself as he exited his apartment and ran down the stairs. He vaguely noticed that the bastard's car wasn't in the lot when he unlocked his door. _The damn goody-two shoes probably got there twenty minutes ago._ He shoved his bag in the passenger's seat as he turned on the car. As he was pulling out of the parking lot he thought to himself, _well at the very least Sai won't have a chance to talk to me before school starts. _He pulled up to the school just as the bell was echoing over the school grounds. With an inward groan Naruto snatched his backpack up, locked the car behind him, and began walking towards the building.

There were the last few stragglers dragging their feet to class. _Well at least I won't be the very last person in class._ He was able to make it into his class just a few minutes late, while muttering a quiet "Sorry" to Mr. Umino, he sat down at his desk between Sakura and Hinata. He took out his textbook, notebook, and a pencil, preparing to take notes on the grammar points Mr. Umino was talking about.

"_Psst._ Naruto, Sai was looking for you this morning, where were you?" Sakura asked him in a whisper while Mr. Umino was looking in the other direction.

"I was running late this morning." Naruto responded with a sigh. "Did he say what he wanted me for?"

"No, he just said he wanted to talk to you about something." Sakura shrugged her shoulders, as if it were no big deal.

"Alright, thanks, I'll find him later." He answered with as natural of a smile as he could muster up. _Ahh, shit what does he want to talk to me for? If he wants to talk about kissing me last night I may flip out on him. I really don't want to talk about it; I just want to forget that it ever happened._

When the bell rang Naruto shoved all of his things in his bag and rushed out in the hallway, hoping to not see a glimpse of Sai as he nearly ran down the hall to his history room. Luck seemed to be favoring him for once; he didn't see either of the raven haired boys as he was in the hall. He was able to make it into his classroom and take his seat without being disturbed.

Naruto sat at his desk and put his head in his hands. _I can't avoid him forever. We have all of our afternoon classes together; I'm eventually going to have to talk to him._ He ran his hands through his hair a few times, trying hard not to show his frustration but probably failing miserably. The class passed slowly, with Naruto _trying_ to pay attention, but his mind kept on wandering back over to Sai. _What the hell am I going to do about him? What am I going to say to him? I'm not sure if I'm gay or not, who knows, maybe I am. But is that what I want? Is Sai what I want? Hell, I don't know. Fuck me._

In math class Naruto was forced to pay attention, they were having a quiz on the equations they had learned the previous day and he couldn't start the class off by bombing a quiz that would screw his grade for the rest of the year. He answered all of the questions to the best of his abilities, trying his hardest to remember everything that had to be done and in what order. He turned in his quiz with a sigh. He had done the best he could, that's all that could be asked of him. The rest of the period went by quickly and before he knew it Naruto was in line in the cafeteria to get his lunch and sit with some friends he had been sitting with the last few days.

Sai caught up to his side as he was walking towards the table. "Hey Naruto, I was trying to find you this morning." Sai said with a small pout on his lips.

"Sorry Sai, I slept in this morning so I was running late." Naruto tried to shrug off the boy's concern.

"That's alright, we still have all afternoon." Sai shot him a quick wink before going back to his own table with various girls and boys.

With a shake of his head Naruto walked over to his own table, trying to keep Sai and the impending class periods out of his mind as he chatted lightly among his friends.

Naruto walked into the gym locker room when there were just a few boys already there. Sai was on one side of the room, standing there in nothing but his hot pink boxers as he dug around in his back pack for his gym clothes. Sasuke was on the other side, his black shorts on and a white t-shit current being slipped over his head. Naruto decided he would rather deal with Sai then Sasuke, and set his stuff down next to the half-naked boy.

He pulled the shirt off over his head, ignoring Sai all but staring at him as he changed. When he was finally in his navy blue shorts and orange t-shirt, he and Sai walked out of the locker room and into the gym. They stood around while role was called, and waited to hear what their daily punishment was going to be. Basketball again. _Well shit, this is going to be interesting._

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Sasuke stood in the gym with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the teams to be called out. He heard his name and walked over to where his current team was standing. _Well shit,_ he thought as he saw Sai standing there with a couple of girls and boys, _this is just going to suck_. He shot a quick glare at the other raven and stood as far away from his as he possibly could. _At least I don't have to worry about him blocking me and "accidently" grabbing my ass or something stupid like that. Then I would have to kick his ass._ His day was only made brighter by the fact that he would have to play Naruto's team, like the last time they had played.

Taking the ball that was handed to him, Sasuke followed his team to their designated court and began to play. There was one point in the game where Naruto happened to cross right in front of him as he was dribbling forward to make a shot. Sasuke hadn't had enough time to stop and try to pass to someone else. Instead, his sneakers skidded along the floor and he ended up smashing straight into Naruto, knocking both of them to the floor. The ball flew from his hands as he fell, and he ended up falling right on top of Naruto, their bodies slamming into one another's as they collided.

"What was that for! We aren't playing _contact_ basketball! You can't just knock me down like that!" Naruto shouted at his as he lifted himself up. As he pushed himself off of the blonde he could see Sai glaring at him from the background.

"It was an accident. My shoe slipped." Sasuke spat at the blonde and got to his feet. "Calm down, I didn't do it on purpose, no need for you to freak out so much."

After a few more quiet protests from Naruto, Sai came over and offered him a hand to help him up. Sasuke turned his back on them and went to fetch the ball from where it had rolled away during their collision. They continued the game from there, Sasuke's team obviously winning by the end of the period. When Sasuke and the other boys were walking back into the locker room to get changed, Naruto was walking far too slowly in the middle of the walkway. More than a little pissed about how much Naruto had over reacted to the accident; Sasuke bumped into his shoulder as he passed him and knocked him out of the way. He heard a distant growl from behind him but the blonde did not retaliate.

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"He's such a bastard!" Naruto commented to Sai as they walked down the hallway to their next class, science. He was positively fuming from what the raven haired boy had done to him throughout the extent of the gym period.

"Just ignore him Naruto; he's one of those guys that gets enjoyment out of the reactions he gets from other people. Just don't act like it bothers you." Sai shrugged his shoulder as he adjusted his backpack.

Naruto just let out a scoff in response. They were almost to their classroom when Sai's hand brushed up against Naruto's, almost as if he was going to try to _hold_ it. Naruto flinched away from the contact and let out a not so quiet squeak of surprise. He tried to look as though the response was completely normal, but he could feel the pink creep into his cheeks.

"Whoa Naruto, what's crawled up your ass? You're acting really weird today." Sai furrowed his brows at him as they entered the classroom. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, there was a spider on the floor, I'm terrified of them so of course I was going to freak out." Naruto gave a nervous laugh as he sat down in his seat and Sai sat on top of his desk, much like he had done the last couple of days before class started.

"Alright, whatever you say." Sai rolled his eyes, clearly saying with the expression that Naruto was acting ridiculous. "So what are you doing this weekend, Naruto?"

Naruto fidgeted in his seat sheepishly. "Oh, I don't know, I hadn't actually planned anything. I had just kind of assumed that I would make plans on a whim, or watch T.V. all weekend." Naruto smiled a little bit, it was true, he wasn't good at making plans, he usually just went with whatever was going on at the time.

"Well, do you maybe want to hang out tonight? I have nothing else to do so if you reject me that will mean I have to stay at my house and be bored _all night._" Sai gave him a pathetic puppy dog look, completely with a lip quiver and fluttering eyelashes.

He couldn't help but laugh at the display. "Sure, why not. How about you come over to my apartment after school? I could even _drive_ you there, unless you would want to walk instead." Naruto stuck his tongue out to show just how ridiculous the proposition truly was.

"Sounds perfect to me." Sai gave him smile and a wink that could have been just a friendly gesture. He went back to sit down at his desk just when Kakashi walked into the room and commanded everyone's attention.

_Okay, so maybe we can still be friends, even though he kissed me last night. Maybe it was just and accident and he hadn't really meant it. Maybe he just wants to be friends. I can do that. No problem. We can hang out tonight and it won't be awkward, we can sit around and watch movies and eat junk food; what normal guys do when they hang out. There won't be any awkwardness like I have been making it today. It is going to be just fine. I was just over reacting earlier, there is nothing going on between us at all. _ More confident now that he had talked himself up to the task, Naruto smiled to himself and began taking notes. He was able to concentrate much more on what he should be doing if he could fool himself into thinking that everything was going to be just fine with Sai that night. That they were just going to hang out like friends and nothing more was going to happen between them.

That's what he told himself at least.

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Sasuke sat in his Algebra class clutching his pencil in his fist as he listened to the teacher drone on about what their homework was for the weekend. _He is such a fucking idiot! I can't stand him! Just thinking about him makes me want to punch something!_ He began to doodle on one of the pages in his notebook. It was a rather graphic drawing of Sasuke smothering Naruto in his sleep. He quickly turned the sheet over before the teacher could see him and have him sent to the guidance counselor for anger problems. That would have just made his day.

As soon as the bell rang, Sasuke shoved all of his things in his backpack and headed for the door.

"Sasuke, hey wait up!" Ino's voice from behind him gave Sasuke an eye twitch that wasn't very subtle.

He only stopped for her to catch up because if he didn't then she literally would have run up behind him and tackled him; she could be very physical when she wanted to.

"What do you want, Ino?" Sasuke asked with a glare as she came up to his side.

"I wanted to invite you over to my house for a party tonight." She gave him what should have been a sexy smile and a wink.

"No thanks, I have other plans tonight." Sasuke rejected her coldly, not even bothering to look at her when he spoke.

"Oh come _on_, Sasuke." She groaned at him. "What could you possibly have to do that would be more fun than going to a party at _my_ house! My parents won't even be there! Give me one good reason!" She stomped her foot at him angrily, looking like a small child who was refused a cookie.

"Pretty much _anything_ could be more fun than that, Ino." With that he left her standing in the hallway as he entered his next class and took his seat. He had heard more than his fair share of stories about the parties at Ino's house. _All they do is sit around and get drunk. Girls try to get with guys by making out with other girls; and guys try to show off to girls by doing stupid things. I would rather get all of my teeth pulled out then sit through something like that. And knowing Ino, or rather any of the girls there, they would try to get me drunk and lure me into a room to violate me. No thank you, I would much rather spend my night at my apartment and far away from all of them._ He rubbed at one of his temples absently, noticing that there was a slight headache forming.

Sasuke put all annoying blondes out of his mind as he sat in class and listened to what he was going to be doing for the rest of the period. When the teacher set them free to do so, he put the headphones of his iPod in and turned it on as loud as he could, trying to lose himself in the music and work rather than thoughts of the stupid and annoying blondes in his life.

It worked, for the most part.

When the end of the day finally came Sasuke was all too happy to slide into his car and get back to the sanctuary of his apartment. He noticed Naruto and Sai getting into Naruto's car in the parking lot. Sasuke made a noise in the back of his throat at the thought of them being alone together. _They're probably going to be having gay butt sex all night. If I hear anything I swear I am going to rip them both limb from limb._ With a glare Sasuke turned his car on and maneuvered home to his apartment where he could relax and read a good book.

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Naruto and Sai were laughing at a joke when they walked out of the building. The last few hours of the day had been going really well, Naruto was impressed with himself; he was able to act as if he hadn't been freaking out over the kiss just a few hours before. _Now if it's just like this I can handle it._

"So what are we going to do tonight, Sai?" Naruto said with a smile as he grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to his car.

"Oh, I don't know. We can just chill and watch movies, I'm fine with that." Sai smiled at him as they climbed in the car.

"Alright, that sounds good to me. You can't go wrong watching movies." Naruto said with a shrug. He pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive down the street.

"That's what I was thinking." Sai said with a proud smile, as if he had invented movies in the first place. Naruto rolled his eyes at the boy.

Naruto pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex and purposefully parked as far away from the nice black car as he could, lest he tempt the bastard into "accidently" hitting him sometime in the middle of the night. They grabbed their backpacks from the back seat of the car and slung them over their shoulders as they walked. Sai's hand gently brushed Naruto's on the way up the stairs to his apartment._ Don't react, Naruto. It was probably just an accident, no need to freak out again. _So he acted like nothing had happened.

_**To Be Continued**_

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_**Author's Note:**_

So do we like Naruto and Sai? Do we think it's cute? Do we like Sasuke being all bitchy and jealous for unknown reasons? Do we want to know what will happen on this mysterious Friday night? Let me know in a review please! If you do then you will find out much quicker!


	5. Chapter 5 Darkness

Exploring the Darkness by sasukelover154

Chapter Five

So what do you think so far? Do you like this? If you do you should tell me in a review! ^-^ if you don't like it you should tell me in a review! Either way you should review because you are an awesome person and I will love you even more!

I updated reasonably quickly on this chapter mainly because the idea popped into my head and when that happens I won't stop until I get it down! So it may or may not continue to happen, it depends on your responses!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot!

Review if you want an update in a timely fashion!

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Naruto led Sai up to his door. "Well, this is home. Sorry if it's a little bit messy, I'm still kind of getting settled in." He looked apologetically as he unlocked the door to let them in. "Make yourself at home."

Sai dropped his bag off by the door and took off his shoes. Naruto did the same and then stood there, his hands in his pockets, probably looking more than a little bit awkward.

"Naruto, would you relax a little bit? You're making me all nervous." Sai walked over to him and put a hand on your shoulder. "Can we _please_ just hang out like friends? Or are you purposefully trying to make this awkward?" He raised one slender brow in question.

"I'm not _trying_ to do anything." Naruto responded. He rolled his neck on his shoulders in an attempt to loosen the tension in his body. He took a big breath and looked Sai dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be awkward; I'll try to relax a bit. You can pick a movie from the box over there." Naruto pointed to the cardboard box over by the T.V. "If you get this set up I'll go to the bathroom and I promise I'll be fine."

Sai smiled and nodded in agreement and turned to go pick out a movie from the box. Naruto made his way into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him. After he was done doing his business he splashed some water into his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror. _Pull yourself together, Naruto; he's not trying to make any moves on you! You're being paranoid! Just calm yourself down and act like a normal person! He's not doing anything so you should be able to just watch a few movies no problem._ Naruto pounded his fist on the counter once and dried his face off before exiting the bathroom.

Sai was laid back on his couch, his head up against the arm rest, and his arms behind his head. He had one of his long legs stretched out and the other knee was propped up. He looked over at Naruto when he heard the door open.

"I hope you don't mind, you told me to get comfy so I did." He gave Naruto one of his teasing smiles. "Of if you would prefer I could just move over and we could _spoon_." He stuck his tongue out and gave a little chuckle.

Naruto decided to act as if Sai was only joking around. "If you don't mind, couch hog, I'll just sit on the floor. I wouldn't fit up there next to your fat ass anyways." He gave him a smile as he sat down in front of the couch, making sure not to be in Sai's way, and leaned back, bringing his knees up to his chest.

They watched the movie pretty normally. They made funny comments about the scenes and were even able to discuss what Sai thought would happen in the end, since he hadn't seen it before. There were a few moments however where things were a little bit odd. About half way through the movie Sai moved from laying against the armrest to lying on his side, his head on the cushion right by Naruto's. When he would say something he would whisper it quietly, since he was right by his ear. Naruto had to try very hard not to visibly shiver every time that voice was in his ear. Instead, he would simply answer in a normal tone, and try to not pay attention to the raven occupying the couch.

Once the movie was over Naruto stood up and stretched out his arms. "So you hungry or what?" He said as he walked over into his kitchen and began looking through the cupboards for something to eat for dinner.

"Starved. What are you going to make for me, wifey?" Sai said with a smirk as he jumped off the couch and stood behind Naruto, leaning his head on the blonde's shoulder to look in the cupboard.

"I'm not sure. What are you in the mood for?" Naruto asked, ignoring Sai on his shoulder.

"As long as you make it, I'll eat it." Said whispered against his ear. Naruto couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine at the sound of his voice and feel of the breath on his neck.

"Mac and cheese it is then." Naruto said grabbing a couple of boxes from the cupboard and heading over to the stove, leaving Sai with a pout on his lips.

Shaking his head to dispel the effects of the lovely raven in the small kitchen, Naruto grabbed a pot from the cupboard, filled it with water, and put in on a burner over the stove. He opened the two blue boxes of noodles, being careful not to spill any, and took out the two packets of powdered cheese. While waiting for the water to boil Naruto sat on top of the counter, trying to look anywhere but at the boy who was walking towards him. Sai leaned an elbow on the counter's surface on the side of his leg and rested his head in his hand. He drummed his long, pale fingers on the countertop, and heaved a sigh. After a few minutes the water began to boil and Naruto dumped the noodles in, trying to not spill them all over the stove top. Naruto leaned back on his hands, looking in the complete opposite direction of Sai.

There were a few minutes of tense silence between them. Sai placed a finger on top of Naruto's knee and began to trace a small pattern over his jeans. Naruto took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

"Sai, could you _please_ stop doing that?" Naruto pleaded, biting his lip.

"Why, Naruto? Do you not like me touching you?" Sai smirked with a glint in his eyes. "Because if you don't like me doing this," he traced a pattern up a few inches farther, "than I can stop and I won't bother with you anymore and we can hang out just as friends.

Naruto blushed, pursing his lips together as he looked down at Sai for a moment. "That's the whole fucking problem, Sai!" Naruto said, throwing his hands up in exasperation, finally giving up. "I do fucking like it! I like you touching my knee! I liked it when you kissed me last night! I like you being here with me, making mac and cheese and watching movies!" He put a hand up to his forehead and pushed his blonde hair back. "I've been driving myself crazy for the last day, thinking about you and the _thing_ that seems to be between us since you kissed me!" He laughed a little bit at himself and his ridiculousness. "I've never thought of myself as gay before, but for some reason I find myself liking you. There, you fucking happy now?" He looked into Sai's eyes, his eyebrows furrowed and a slight blush tinting his cheeks.

"Actually, I'm _very_ happy, Naruto." Sai said quietly with a chuckle. He shrugged away from the counter and stood in front of Naruto. The raven boy parted his knees and stood between them. He cradled Naruto's head in his hands and slowly brought them closer together, until their lips just barely touched. It was like lightning was being transferred between the two. Naruto grabbed onto the front of Sai's t-shirt, trying to pull him closer, Sai responded by biting him playfully on his bottom lip. He only vaguely heard the sound of something liquid bubbling and sizzling.

"Fuck!" Naruto exclaimed, pushing Sai away and jumping off the counter. He stood in front of the stove and quickly turned the heat off of the noodles, moving the pot over to sit on a pot holder on the counter instead. He drained the noodles and went about finishing the preparations for their dinner, all the while Sai had his hands on Naruto's hips and his head on his shoulder. "You are being a really big distraction right now, Sai." Naruto huffed as he grabbed a couple of bowls from the cupboard, divided up the noodles, and got them each a fork.

"Oh you're okay with it." Sai chuckled in his ear and kissed him on the cheek. Taking his bowl he walked back over to the couch and sat down. He patted the seat next to him before taking a big bite of his food. Naruto sighed, grabbed his food and put in a new movie before he took a seat by Sai on the couch.

They each ate their food relatively quietly, only a few comments were exchanged. They were _boys_ after all, and all boys are the same when they are given food, whether they are gay or not, they all shut the hell up and eat. Naruto let out a huge belch as he grabbed Sai's bowl and put them in the sink. He went back over to the couch and took his seat back, being careful not to touch Sai.

"Why so far away, Naruto?" Sai said with a cute pout. He put an arm across Naruto's shoulders, pulling him closer to his side.

"Well, because honestly Sai I don't know what's going on here." Naruto said in slight exasperation as he pushed away from the raven and moved to the other end of the couch. "You've been all over me since we got here, and I'm just really confused as to what you want from me." He heaved a sigh and looked over at Sai with a sad expression on his face.

"Naruto, there's no need to freak out about this, I'm just having trying to let you have a little fun, you weren't exactly acting like you _didn't _ like me, so I thought it was okay. If you don't want me to, then I won't. It's as simple as that. I'm not asking you to be my _boyfriend_ or anything. I just want to hang out and have some fun." Sai gave him a sweet smile and looked caringly into his eyes.

"So you aren't asking me of anything? We could make out here on my couch and it'll just be us hanging out?" Naruto raised his eyebrows, sort of confused. _I thought this whole time that he was trying to be my boyfriend! If he doesn't expect anything then that's okay, because I'm still really confused as to what I want anyway._

"Seriously, no strings attached. I probably came on a little too strong, so you probably want some time to think. If you want to just sit here and make out all night, then I'm all for that," Sai waggled his neat eyebrows in a sexy fashion and let out a laugh before continuing, "But we can also just watch movies. Whatever you want."

"Okay, I guess I can deal with that." He scooted back over to sit next to Sai, but before turning back to the movie, he planted a kiss right on Sai's surprised lips. "You're a really good kisser, just by the way." Naruto said with a smirk.

"You're not so bad either." Sai nudged him with a shoulder gave him a wink, Naruto's cheeks turned bright red at the compliment.

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Sasuke paced around his apartment his for a few minutes. He finally calmed himself down enough to sit down on his couch and start reading a book. Before he knew it, he was lost in the pages, drowning in the story, literally a ghost to the living world. Unfortunately, the book he had chosen to read was fairly short, so it didn't take him more than a few hours before he was done with it and looking for something else to occupy his attention. He began to pace again; deciding he just needed to be moving around or else he would go insane.

He suddenly decided he didn't want to be cooped up in his small apartment anymore, he wanted to go out and explore the night that was slowly falling beyond his window. With abrupt inspiration Sasuke grabbed his sweater from his bedroom, made sure his keys were in his pocket, and walked out the door.

The cold night air filled up his lungs. For the first time that day he felt as if he could really _breathe_. It felt good to inhale the sweet scents of the trees, their smells gently wafting to him on the light breeze. He walked onto the nearest sidewalk and began wandering. He didn't know where he was going to go, and he didn't care. Just the feeling of the pavement beneath his feet felt like heaven to him. He put his hands in his pockets, trying to prevent the cold from biting into his flesh any more than it already had.

He didn't think about where he was going, he had lived in that city for so long that his feet simply knew where they were going without his knowledge. It felt like sheer bliss to be able to walk around without thinking.

_Not_ thinking hadn't been something he had been able to accomplish lately.

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Naruto lay back on the couch, Sai above him. They had finished their third movie some time ago and had taken instead to have a make-out session instead. Sai kissed him gently, holding onto his cheek as he tried to not squish Naruto with all of his weight. Naruto held onto Sai's hips, as if trying to bring them as close together as they could be. They were both panting when they pulled apart after a few minutes. Sai kissed on his neck, causing him to squirm into the couch cushion with pleasure.

"What the hell, Sai!" Naruto squealed as the raven disengaged from his neck. "You're going to leave a mark!"

"That's kind of the point." Sai smirked at him and bit at his neck playfully. "You can't say that you don't like it." Naruto glared halfheartedly and swatted at Sai before grabbing him back for another kiss.

They had another few minutes of intense making out before Sai abruptly rolled off of him and began to straighten himself out. "What are you doing?" Naruto whimpered, sitting up and pouting at the other boy.

"I've got to go, Naruto. It's getting late." Sai said with a slight laugh, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why don't you just stay here tonight?" Naruto questioned, his head cocking to one side in a very cute vision of pity.

"Wish I could, but I have to be up early tomorrow." He swooped down to give Naruto a quick kiss on his lips. "You just can't get enough of me, can you?" Sai winked at him with a smirk. "Trust me, I would stay here with you if I could, it's killing me to leave you here being all cute like that, but I really have to go." He whispered against Naruto's lips with another kiss.

"You little fucking _tease_." Naruto growled at Sai, getting up off the couch.

"Come on, don't be that way." Sai shot him a pathetic pout. "I didn't say that we would never hang out again. I'm simply saying that _right now_ I have to leave. Don't worry, we will hang out again if I have anything to say about it."

They walked over to the door and Sai gathered his things. "Fine, but you still suck." Naruto stuck his tongue out at the smirking raven as he put on his shoes.

"Yeah, but you like it, so it's okay." He pulled Naruto in for a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, Naruto." He gave him a quick wink.

"Won't you let me drive you home, Sai?" Naruto pleaded with the boy, holding on to his wrist, trying to prevent him from leaving. "I really hate to make you walk all the way home by yourself."

"I'll be fine, trust me." He gave a quick smile. "I can take care of myself if anyone tries to mess with me." He struck a tough pose for a short moment, laughing at himself a little bit.

"But if you let me drive you, then it'd be some more time together…" Naruto's eyebrows rose and his eyes grew wide, trying to persuade the other boy with pity.

"I know, Naruto." He touched Naruto's cheek gently with a hand, giving him a caring smile. "But I like walking by myself, it gives me time to think, it's peaceful, calming. You should try it sometime."

"Yea okay, maybe I will." He heaved a sigh and let go of Sai's wrist. He gave Sai a sweet kiss goodbye and let the other boy leave.

Naruto waited until he heard the footsteps disappear down the hallway before he said anything. "Holy fucking shit, I'm gay." He put his hands on top of his head and started pacing around his living room. "I have to be fucking gay; I enjoyed kissing Sai so much." He traced his lips, swearing he could still feel Sai's lips against them. "There's no other explanation for it. But what the hell do I do now? Does this mean I have to start acting like Sai does? Do I have to flirt with all the boys and kiss random ones? I sure hope not; then I would just get embarrassed." He blushed slightly at the thought of doing what Sai had done to him to anybody else. "I need to calm down." He took in a deep breath through his nose. "I need to go and take a walk; maybe it will help me clear my head some."

He went into his bedroom and grabbed a dark hoodie. He slipped it on over his head and adjusted his t-shirt underneath it. He grabbed his shoes from by the door and sat down on the couch to shove his feet in them. He paced around his apartment for another minute before leaving, giving Sai a chance to be a ways ahead of him before he set out.

When he was sure that the other boy would have a decent head start in his walk home, Naruto left his apartment, making sure to have his keys in his pocket before he left. He stepped out of the lobby and into the cold night air, welcoming the refreshing atmosphere into his lungs. The night was chilly against his skin, but seeing as he had spent much of the night being hot and bothered; it felt good to have the soothing affects.

He wasn't all that sure where he was going, he just needed the feeling of the pavement moving beneath his feet and going _somewhere_. There was a delicious mystery to not knowing where he was going to end up when he stopped. He was sure that he would be able to find his way back when he needed to, but for the moment all he focused on was moving, getting away from where he had once been. One foot in front of the other.

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Sasuke finally came to a rest about a fifteen minute walk from his apartment building. He ended up by a family playground for a nearby neighborhood. Obviously at this time of night there were no small children hogging the play equipment, so Sasuke decided since there would be no one to see him, he would have some fun in their place.

The swing set had a ghostly beauty as it swung lazily in the gentle breeze. Sasuke sat down on one of the seats tentatively. He gave himself a good push off of the sand with his legs and began to pump his legs. The wind pushed his hair back from his face; he couldn't help but let out a yell of excitement as the adrenaline rushed through his veins at the feeling of flying through the air.

_If only it could be this easy all the time. If I could just be happy like this all the time, that would be sheer bliss. I would have no problems. This must be what it would be like to be a bird. To have to think of nothing more than the wind in your face and where you were going to go next. I would love to be a bird, I would love to be able to do nothing but this everyday…_ he continued to pump his legs, trying each time to get higher and higher than he had been the last time.

He saw over the tops of the distant trees. He saw more stars over his head than he had ever seen before. The night was so beautiful all around him, cradling him like a blanket in its velvety darkness. It was a comfort to be surrounded by the night, to have no worries but whether or not he was going to fall off the swing with the next pump of his legs. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy.

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Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets as he rounded a corner. He had been walking for about ten minutes and had no desire to stop yet. He vaguely considered climbing one of the trees that bordered the sidewalk he was on, but he thought better of it. It wasn't that he couldn't climb a tree, it was just that if he got up there he would have to worry about getting back down, and climbing _down_ the tree was always his problem. The last thing he needed to do in the middle of the night was fall out of a tree and break his leg; he probably would have died before anyone came and found him.

He was vaguely sure that he still knew the way back to his apartment, he had kept pretty good tabs on where he had been walking and was relatively certain that he could find his way back. He came upon a reasonably nice looking neighborhood and decided to explore a little bit. He heard a distant shout of what sounded like joy, and furrowed his brows in puzzlement. _Whoever that is must be having a good time._ He rolled his eyes at the voice and continued walking.

He wandered around the neighborhood for a few minutes, finding his way to the middle where he found a children's playground. The area was vacant, except for the one person who was swinging surprisingly high on the swing set. Naruto squinted at the figure, trying to see who it was. Even at the distance he was he could tell that the figure was too big to be a child in the neighborhood; he looked like he could have been a teenager, at least around his age.

Naruto quietly walked closer, trying not to startle the person, for fear that he would make them fall off the swing and get hurt. After he took a moment to discreetly come up on the side of the figure, so he could make out more of the stranger, who turned out to be no stranger at all. The figure that was getting such enjoyment out of the swing set happened to be none other than the boy who had made his life a living hell the last few days. _Sasuke._

"Well what do you know? A bastard like you actually knows how to have fun." Naruto said in a surprised voice as Sasuke was coming back on his swing.

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"Holy fuck!" Sasuke yelled as the voice suddenly appeared by his side. He let go of the chain on his swing out of surprise. Just as he was coming on the upswing he was propelled forward out of the seat and landed hard in the sand quite a few feet from where he had started. The impact was hard, he half landed on his feet, with too much momentum to stop fully he ended up tumbling forward to land face first in the sand. "_Shit_. That hurt." Sasuke managed to groan out as he rolled over onto his back.

The person who had spoken stood over him. Concern etched in his face as he held out a hand. "I'm _so_ sorry. I thought you heard me coming! I didn't mean to make you fall off the swing." Sasuke could tell from the voice that it was none other than Naruto.

"Could you make a fucking noise or something next time? God, I could have _died!_" He accepted the hand and pulled himself up into a sitting position. "What the hell are you doing out here anyway? This is pretty far away from the apartments for you to be exploring don't you think?" He asked with a glare as he shook out his clothes, trying to get some of the sand out of them.

"I could ask you the same thing." Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke. "But then again you were the one being a creepy pedophile and swinging on a child's play set in the middle of the night and yelling." He raised a blonde brow at him in question.

"I wasn't the one being creepy. I was just walking around decided to take a break here." He swatted at his hair and rubbed at his face. "You were the one who snuck up on me and nearly made me shit my pants!"

"Hey I was just walking around and was wondering who would possibly be hanging out on a playground in the middle of the night. It's not my fault that you need to get your hearing checked." Naruto shrugged his shoulders, as is everything was no big deal.

"Oh shut the hell up, will you, bastard?" Sasuke grumbled as he rubbed at the pain in the back of his neck.

"In all honesty though, I'm sorry about that. I really didn't mean to scare you." Naruto held out a hand to Sasuke.

Sasuke grabbed it with a quiet "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you didn't mean it" and a roll of his eyes. Naruto helped him gingerly to his feet and helped him dust some of the sand off of his back. _What's up with this guy? As soon as I stop thinking of him he shows up here and nearly kills me! What did him and Sai stop going at it so now he needs to get on my nerves?_ After Sasuke had gotten as much sand off him as he could, they stood there in the quiet night, Sasuke glaring slightly with arms crossed over his chest, and Naruto standing in front of him with a small smile and his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and with a sigh he asked in a bored voice, "Do you know how to get back to the apartments, Naruto?"

"Uh…" A sheepish grin spread across his face and he rubbed the back of his head as a slight blush crept into his cheeks. "Kind of? I'm sure I could if I tried, but I'm not completely positive."

"Come on." Sasuke said as he started walking towards the sidewalk. "If you promise not to make another attempt on my life, I'll walk you back." He set a steady pace, not waiting for the blonde to catch up.

"Alright, Sasuke! As long as you aren't planning on murdering me in an alley!" Naruto said with a sly smile as he caught up to Sasuke's side.

"Don't count on it." Sasuke growled as he glared at the sidewalk when they reached it.

The silence between them as they walked wasn't very awkward, but neither one of them dared break it. They made it back to their apartment building in about fifteen minutes and waved slightly in goodbye as they parted ways on the staircase, Sasuke heading onto the second floor and Naruto continuing up to the third.

As Sasuke continued into his apartment he thought to himself: _That guy is a major pain in my ass._

_**To Be Continued**_

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**Authors Note:**

What did you guys think? We like NaruSai? We like Naruto nearly killing Sasuke accidently every day? Do we wish Sasuke would quit being a whiny bitch all the time? Let me know in a review please, I love hearing what you guys thought! Also if you want me to update faster you have to let me know that you want me to continue or else I will assume that no one likes it and doesn't want to hear anymore! So let me know!

And by the way, I can_not_ be the only one who absolutely loved Sai and Naruto making out randomly! Come on tell me who liked it!


	6. Chapter 6 Secret Places

**Exploring the Darkness** by sasukelover154

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I got distracted by school work and I've been having problems with my laptop and only just got it fixed. I'll try to not take so long next time, if I can I would like to update at least once a month, if not more. Whether or not that is going to happen is debatable but I will try!

So last time we left off Naruto and Sai had a thing going, will that continue? What about Sasuke? Why does he care so much? Read on to find out some stuff that happens!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, except the plot.

Warning: be fully prepared for gay make out scenes…if you don't like it then I really don't know what you are doing reading this.

Please read and review my lovelies! I get so happy to hear what you think!

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Naruto woke up on Sunday morning feeling tired. He hadn't slept very well the last couple of nights, too full of thoughts of Sai to shut his mind down enough to sleep any substantial length of time. He did not have a phone number to call, no address to go to, he did not even have an e-mail address. He literally had no way to get ahold of Sai. The only thing he could hope for was for Sai to drop by his house. That hope was in vain.

A lot of the day Naruto paced, he wasn't sure of what else to do with himself, he didn't want to sit still, he had too much energy to just sit and be idle. At one point he found himself laying back on the floor of his living room, his hands over his face while he tried to stop thinking of the seductive raven that had been over him on the couch.

There were several times when he would simply talk to himself out loud, not really having any way to talk to any of his new friends from school until at least the next morning. If he had the chance to talk to anyone besides Sai would he? He couldn't be sure. He didn't think he would want anyone to know that he was attracted to the boy. He was already the "New Kid" he did not need to be the "Gay Kid" along with it, he was pretty sure he only had enough strength for one struggle at a time.

At one point he thought he might go for a run to burn off some of his energy, but after realizing that would mean that he would have to actually get up and _run, _he thought better of it and returned to his pacing. He preferred the thought of burning a track in his carpet with his pacing than going out in public and doing a form of physical activity.

Naruto thought about making himself a nice dinner, but realized that if he wanted to do that then he would have to go to the store and get a ton of groceries, so instead he decided to make himself a very quick and easy dinner of ramen, like usual.

In desperate act of hopelessness, Naruto almost was tempted to go down to the second floor and pay a visit to Sasuke. He went so far as to put on his shoes and grab his keys before he thought better of it. _If I were to show up at his apartment I would probably get my ass handed to me by him. He's probably screwing some girl or doing his homework._ Naruto shook his head and kicked his shoes off by the door, thinking it better to sit on the couch than risk his life.

He tried to take his mind off of it by watching a movie, but the only one he thought of himself to be in the mood to watch was a romantic comedy that was given to him as a gag gift one Christmas. He honestly didn't feel like putting himself through the torture of watching a romance. Instead, he opted for a hilariously stupid comedy, but even that didn't work very well.

Finally it was an acceptable time for a teenage boy to go to bed. He was yawning hugely, since he hadn't been getting that much sleep the last few nights, and he felt like he was literally a walking zombie. He lay in his bed, his eyes closed, trying to shut down his brain long enough to get more than a few moments of sleep. But most of the night he lay there, tossing and turning, trying to get in a comfortable enough position to find some rest. He almost considered going and making coffee, at least that way he could make himself awake enough to stay up all night and wait for school in the morning, but instead he lay there.

Trying to give him something pleasant to think about, Naruto let Sai wander into his mind again. However, instead of the questions and confusion he often felt with the presence of the thoughts, he let himself feel happy. He thought of what they could do with their time together, how much fun they had when they were around each other. Mostly, Naruto just thought of how good he felt around Sai, and how good Sai _made_ him feel.

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Monday morning came relatively quickly for Sasuke. He had all of his homework done by the time he went to bed last night, and had even gotten some reading in for fun. All in all he had had a fairly successful weekend that is after Friday night with his encounter with Naruto.

_As soon as he reached his apartment Sasuke couldn't help but wrinkle his brow in frustration and confusion. He was almost glad that the blonde had found him out there in the middle of the night, at a playground he was obviously too big for. Not too happy that he had almost died and taken a huge shit in his pants, but happy that he didn't have to be alone, even if he had always craved that every other day of his life._

_He quickly pushed the thoughts of comfort in Naruto's company away from him and instead focused on his now dire need for sleep. After nearly have half of his life scared away and walking quite some distance, Sasuke was feeling exhausted like he never had before._

_Although he felt as if he had never wanted sleep more in his life, he couldn't very well go to sleep without washing some of the sand from the cracks and crevices it had crept into. After he was squeaky clean with what he was sure was half of a beach washing down the drain, he was able to carry his weary body to bed and slept like a log._

After this, Sasuke could push most thoughts of the blonde away and focus on other things, like his homework and reading. On Monday he felt refreshed and ready to face the world, or more importantly, the school day that lay out before him.

When he was finally out of his extra-long morning shower, seeing as he could still feel some sand snuggled up into places that he would really rather there not be, he went about dressing himself for the day. He chose a nice blue shirt, something nice and dark that brought out the natural blue highlights in his deep black hair. He slipped on black jeans over his slim hips and secured it with a simple black leather belt. He didn't bother to try and tame the black spikes that always got out of hand on the back of his head; it was a lost cause no matter what he tried to do. Finally it was an acceptable time to leave for school he didn't want to be tempted into searching out the blonde and his apparent knew boyfriend. He knew they would more than likely be together before school started, and he really didn't care to lose what little breakfast he had eaten.

He didn't see the blonde when he was walking out to his car in the parking lot, but he did notice that the other's car was already gone, and if he had to bet, had been gone for quite a while. He rolled his eyes at the empty parking spot and fished his keys out of the pocket of his jeans. When the car was open he tossed his backpack over onto the passenger side seat and turned on his car, pulling out of the parking lot when he was sure it was safe for him.

Sasuke made it t to the school with just a few minutes to spare before the final bell rang. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked into the school, not making eye contact with anyone or trying to draw attention to himself in anyway, not that this was unusual behavior for him. He made his way through the hallways, winding around the scurrying bodies of students, dodging doors being opened all around his as he tried to find his class room before the final bell rang.

Just as he approached the door he found the couple that he had been trying to avoid. Sai and Naruto were standing incredibly close, closer than two straight boys would have been comfortable with. Both boys had smiles on their faces as they stood outside of a janitor's closet that was hardly ever used. Sai leaned in for a moment, mischief clear in his onyx eyes, he whispered something into Naruto's ear, and the blonde's eyebrows shot up, a pink blush tinting his tan cheeks. After a quick glance around to check for teachers or authority figures, the two troublesome boys slipped into the closet and disappeared from his sight.

Sasuke tried to keep his face blank as he entered his classroom, the final bell just tolling as his foot crossed the threshold. Knots twisted in his stomach as he thought of the two of them in the small space. _Disgusting horny bastards._ Sasuke thought to himself as he sat down at his desk and pulled out his materials.

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Naruto arrived at school Monday morning absurdly early. Normally he never would have condoned getting to school before he _absolutely _had to, but this morning was different. He _needed_ to talk to Sai. After what had happened this weekend all he could think about was getting to see Sai.

Getting to see that small smile, the smile that would grace his lips, typically when Naruto said or did something completely ridiculous; this was more often than not. Getting to see those dark eyes that he thought could see straight through his pretenses and deep down into his soul. Getting to see the raven hair that just barely brushed the pale skin of his forehead and neck, always carefully sculpted into very casual disarray without being misconstrued as trashy. Getting to see that pale ivory skin that seemed to never change color, whether he was excited, nervous, pissed or even being complimented. That sinuously thin body that was both muscular and slightly feminine at the same time was enough to drive Naruto insane if he wasn't near it.

The school was nearly empty when Naruto arrived that morning, he was there nearly forty-five minutes early mostly because he couldn't stand the thought of sitting in his apartment anymore when he could be here with Sai. He walked around the hallways, looking into classrooms with lights illuminating the windows, which were few, and keeping his ears open for the sound of Sai's distinctive voice.

He finally found Sai after about ten minutes of roaming the halls. He was sitting on the floor in a gap between the blue metal lockers and the display case in which hung projects from the advanced art class. He had his back resting against the side of the locker, a notebook perched on top of his up raised knees. There was a pencil held delicately in his right hand, just above the page. He bit at his light pink lip, his head cocking to the side slightly as he thought.

Today he wore a neutral grey V-neck T-shirt, over this hung a simple black cardigan, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows to keep them out of the way of his motions. His bottom half was clad in a pair of, for the first time Naruto had ever seen, _normal_ blue jeans. Not skinny jeans. Not some weird gay color. Just a nice pair of dark wash, boot-cut blue jeans. His shoes were a simple matte grey converse with black laces weaving down the front. This was a very cute, toned down, outfit compared to the screaming colors and ensembles he tended to wear.

Naruto approached him quietly, trying not to disturb the quiet boy. He swung his backpack off of his shoulders and sat it next to him as he took a seat across from Sai on the other side of the lockers. The large display case was higher above them, creating a big enough gap for both of them to sit comfortably, if both had their legs extended then they might just barely touch. Sai looked up at him as he adjusted his bright blue shirt, the barest hint of a smile playing across his lips.

"What are you doing at school this early, Naruto? Don't tell me you came here to _study_." Sai smirked at his teasing, using his pencil to push a small lock of his ebony hair into a slightly different position.

"I just got bored back at my apartment and decided wandering around the halls was a better use of my time then sitting there bored out of my mind." Naruto shrugged, it wasn't a complete lie. "What are you doing here?" Naruto asked his head cocked slightly with curiosity, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.

"I like to get here early so that I can have time to do some sketching." He made a gesture with the pencil down to the notebook that lay against his knees. "I don't always get a lot of time at home, so I usually set aside this time to get some in." A gentle smile returned to his mouth as he finished his explanation.

"I didn't know you liked to draw, Sai." Naruto said with a grin, for some reason he hobby seemed to fit the brunette. "Do you mind if I see? I'm just curious as to what you're working on."

Sai seemed a little hesitant at first, biting the corner of his lip for the briefest of seconds before he came to the decision and nodded silently. "This one isn't that good, so don't expect something amazing. I've only been working on this for about twenty minutes."

He lowered his legs and flipped over the notebook. In the center of the page there stood three trees. Their branches were bare, looking like a decrepit skeleton. The ground was shaded to the deepest of greys, along with the most outer edges of the highest branches. The details in the bark were remarkable, the knots seeming to jump out of the tree, holes seeming to never end. In the background lay the very edges of a busy city. The tops of buildings jutting out above others in dire attempt to break to the sky. Some of the windows, even though they were shaded in grey, seemed to almost be alight in comparison to those who were shaded in dark. The deep grey sky was speckled lightly with the presence of dreamy stars. The buildings and trees seemed to mingle and yet be completely separate at the same time. They were one but distinct entity simultaneously. All around the edges were dark, barely any detail in them, as if looking at the scene through tunnel vision. The drawing was dark but beautiful. Naruto could feel his jaw drop as he analyzed the sketch.

"Sai, this is a _sketch_ that took you twenty _minutes_?" Naruto gaped at the scene, eyes wide; his mouth would have been on the floor if it had been physically possible.

"I told you not to expect anything too good, I haven't put the finishing details in, or cleaned up the rough edges, I'm still working on it." Sai flipped his notebook back over self-consciously, bringing his knee's back up and the pencil's eraser end up to his mouth. "I have better drawings and paintings, I swear it isn't usually that bad, but I didn't expect to show this one to anyone." Sai looked down at his drawing, an insecure expression crossing his features, eyebrows coming together over onyx eyes, lower lip protruding slightly, he mused up the back of his hair somewhat uncomfortably.

Naruto couldn't form words at the moment, all he could do was sit up on his knees, lean over Sai's notebook, and connect their lips in a sweet kiss. Sai, in his confused state, didn't respond right away, but after a short moment he leaned into the kiss, lightly holding Naruto's tanned cheeks. Lips moving silently, breathing through noses in hushed tones, and gentle caresses to the other's face. They stayed in these positions for a few moments, Naruto treasuring each movement; he had forgotten how amazing it had felt to be this close to the other male.

"Sai," Naruto said as he pulled away, looking into the other's eyes, "shut the hell up about how shitty this sketch is. I was trying to imply how amazing it was. It's absolutely perfect as is, you don't need to add anything or change anything." He whispered this against Sai's lips in just barely over a whisper.

"Naruto, you are _such_ a kiss ass." Sai let out a small chuckle as he traced one of the many scars lining Naruto's face. "But it would be a lie if I said that I didn't like the compliment." After a quick peck on the lips Sai gently pushed on Naruto's chest. Naruto, taking the hint, back away and took his previous position on the other side of the gap.

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, Naruto studying Sai silently as he drew. The gentle stroke of his hand as it swept across the page was simply beautiful. There was nothing in that moment that could have made Naruto happier than sitting there and watching Sai as he completed his precious art work. It was like being let in on a secret as it unfolded.

"How was the rest of your weekend, Sai? You know _after_ you left my amazing company." Naruto smirked at the raven haired teen as he shaded in an area, raising an eyebrow as if daring Sai to question how amazing of a time they had together on Friday night.

"Not too bad, I got all of my homework done, did some stuff with my family, even got to hang out with some friends." Sai answered in a chipper tone as he leaned back slightly to admire his drawing. "What'd you do? Mope around your apartment all weekend and miss me?" Sai shot him a quick smirk and a wink, clearly teasing.

_So that's why he didn't get in touch with me after Friday, he was busy hanging out with other people…he could've asked me to come along, I would have loved to spend the time with him…maybe he just didn't want to see me…maybe he really isn't that into me…_

"Oh you know the usual. Watched some movies, did some homework. I still don't really know a lot of people yet, so I wasn't really able to get a hold of anyone to hang out. I just hung out by myself." Naruto shrugged his shoulders, acting as if the whole situation _didn't_ bug the shit out of him.

The halls slowly began to fill with students. When it was about five minutes until classes were to start Sai started to pack up his things. He carefully placed his notebook in his backpack and his pencil into the small holder in the front most pocket. They both stood up, slinging their bags over their shoulders and walking down the hall in close proximity, their hands casually touching; the maze of newly arrived students creating a great excuse.

They finally came to a rest near both of their classrooms, in front of a janitor's closet that Sai told him was almost never used. They stood slightly closer than was strictly necessary, so that they could hear each other over the ruckus everyone else was causing around them. Mostly they chatted about Friday night and how much they both enjoyed it, and how much they couldn't wait until they were able to do it again.

When there was about a minute left until the school day was to start, Naruto saw Sasuke near them in the hall. He didn't have very long to contemplate the situation before Sai leaned in close to him.

"Why don't we slip into this closet and have some fun before class?" Sai whispered in his ear, gently brushing his lips up against it. There was a mischievous glint in his eye as a blush dusted across Naruto's cheek. "Come on, Naruto, I can't very well kiss you out here in the open, and don't act like you don't want to, you were just saying how much you wished we could be alone."

"Can't we get in trouble, Sai? I don't think we're supposed to be in there, and we have class in just a couple of minutes." Naruto gulped slightly, thinking of what it would be like to be in such a small confined space with Sai. His couch was one thing, his living room was a relatively open space; a _closet_ was a small space for two people.

"So we will be a few minutes late, no big deal. And I told you, this closet is barely ever used, and we could use it for so many better things then the janitors could." Sai practically purred in his ear.

"You talked me into it, let's go." Naruto said with faint determination as he could practically feel the lust radiating off of Sai in waves. With classes nearly starting students were not paying them any attention; they were too busy rushing past, so they would not be late to their first class of the day.

They checked that the coast was clear of authority figures before Sai slipped open the door and snuck inside, Naruto soon to follow.

There was no light above them; the bulb was missing from the socket over their heads. The space was small, a small waist high table set right against the wall across from the door taking up most of the room and on the wall hung various bottles of old fashioned cleaning equipment, their smells hanging heavily in the air around them. Naruto was closest to the door, Sai right in front of him near the table; they were maybe but mere feet away from each other. Naruto set his backpack down at his feet, and Sai did the same.

Sai put his hands against Naruto's chest, pushing him back flush against the doorway and bringing their mouths together in a kiss. Naruto wrapped a hand behind Sai's neck, letting his fingers wander through the shortly cropped tendrils while his other hand traced down Sai's back. Their breathing mingled together for a few short minutes until they needed to break away for air, Sai resting his forehead against Naruto's, his deep obsidian eyes heavily lidded, and his hands roaming lazily down to grip at his hips roughly.

When they collided again it was unlike any other time they ever had. Sai came at him with a new passion unleashed, as if the gauge between animal and human and tipped slightly towards beast. He left no space between them as he held Naruto against the door, biting lightly at his lip and letting his hand just slightly go up under Naruto's shirt. Naruto could not deny that he very much liked this new primal feel to Sai's kisses, but it was after a few moments when Sai moved away from Naruto's lips and latched onto his neck when he had to push the raven haired teen away and clear his head a little.

"Sai, I think that's enough for the closet make out." Naruto whispered, keeping his hands on Sai's chest as he tried to catch the breath the other boy seemed to have stolen right from his lungs.

"Why do you say that, Naruto?" Sai breathed, running his hands up to Naruto's waist and giving a light squeeze. "Aren't you enjoying yourself, I know I am." He gave the blonde a heated smirk and attempted to dive back in.

Naruto tensed the muscles in his arms, preventing Sai from jumping his bones any more than he already had. "I am enjoying myself, Sai, it's just that we really need to get to class, we've been in here long enough, and as fun as it is, it isn't the most comfortable of positions that we could be in." Naruto sighed, running a hand back through his hair, still trying to regulate his breathing and make sense of the situation. He let his hands drop from Sai's chest and instead grabbed on to his hands, trying to let the other feel his remorse through the touch.

Sai's eyes softened as soon as Naruto touched his hands, it was as if the beast had been tamed, leaving behind a calm, domesticated animal in its wake. "I understand, Naruto. I got a little out of control and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so pushy with you." He gave Naruto's hands a light squeeze and leaned in to just barely peck Naruto's lips as if he would break if he tried to kiss him as intimately as he just had. "I just can't control the way you make me feel. When I'm around you all I want to do is kiss you and never stop." Sai murmured against his lips rubbing small circles against the backs of his hands with his thumbs.

A shudder ran down Naruto's spine as the words reverberated in his mind, "This isn't a good time to do this Sai, we should wait until later when we can really be alone." Naruto said around the lump that had formed in his throat at Sai's words.

"You're right, Naruto, let's just go to class." Sai pecked him one last time before pulling away, giving them both distance from each other. "Meet me for lunch though? We can talk about maybe hanging out later?"

"Sounds like a plan, Sai. I'll be looking forward to it while I'm in class this morning." Naruto gave him one of his big smiles; he could still feel the blush on his cheeks from their previous make out session.

They each grabbed their backpacks, which had lain forgotten on the floor at their feet. Naruto opened the closet door slightly and peeked out, checking to see if there was anybody to catch them on their way out. When they were sure no one was coming they both crept out and separated on their way to class.

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Sasuke was listening to his teacher's lecture about ten minutes or so into class when Sai finally walked in. His hair was slightly disheveled, easily mistakable for bed-head if it wasn't for the clearly wide awake look in his eyes. He mumbled a quiet apology to the teacher as he passed and took his seat on the side of the room opposite to Sasuke.

_They probably just got done having a quickie in that closet or something, there is no way that they didn't just do something. The two of them just make me absolutely sick; I mean could they be any more obvious about it? They may as well just walk around with signs around their necks saying 'We like to fuck like monkeys'. How can they even stand to kiss each other, I mean they are both _boys _for fuck's sake. It just isn't natural._

Though, despite his best efforts to keep himself engaged in the class material, he found his mind wandering off to other things, like to that obnoxious blonde who he seemed to be unable to get away from. Regardless of his greatest attempts to avoid the blonde, he had still been hunted down by that boy and been witness to something he would have otherwise liked to avoid all together if at all possible. He wondered vaguely if the blonde had even seen that Sasuke had known they had gone into the closet, _Probably not,_ Sasuke thought to himself as he drug himself to his next class,_ that boy was so caught up in what he was about to do I'm sure he wouldn't have noticed if I had bitten him in the ass._

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Naruto walked into his class more than ten minutes into his teacher's lecture. He smiled sheepishly as he passed and murmured an apology before he walked to his seat. He could tell his cheeks were still flushed, though he hoped that the other students attributed that to his tardiness and not to the other activities he had been engaging in.

It took all of Naruto's will power to try and not think of the very seductive raven that he had been sharing a space with not too long ago. How it felt to have their bodies so close together, breath clashing together as their lips made contact, hands wandering around places that they wouldn't be able to while people were around them. Naruto could still feel the ghosts of Sai's hands as they gripped his thin hips._ Fuck, that guy really knows how to kiss._ Naruto bit his lip, trying to get his mind off of the enticing brunette.

Instead he thought of Sasuke. _Was he standing by us when we went into the closet? I could have sworn I saw him there…but maybe it was just somebody who looks like him. Why do I even care if Sasuke saw me anyway? Just the other day we were pretty much mortal enemies and now all of a sudden, just because we walked home together Friday night I should care about his opinion of me? That's bull shit. I just care because he could tell somebody what I was doing and then both Sai and I could get into a lot of trouble. I don't actually care what that incredible asshole thinks about me, I have no reason to. Right?_

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Sasuke was able to snatch his own table at lunch. He preferred to eat by himself rather than surrounded by the idiots that he politely called his peers. He ate the slop that the overly hairy woman set down on his Styrofoam plate, a look of disgust always prominent. He pushed the hard grain that passed for substantial bread away, opting to try and stomach some of the colorless vegetables and overly ripe fruit. Nothing seemed to want to stay in his stomach.

Finally after shoving his food around his plate in a moody fashion, Sasuke decided he might just need a trip to the bathroom. He tossed his bag over his shoulder and threw his plate in the garbage before he wove his way through the tables and out into the hallway, in search for the nearest bathroom.

He rounded a corner, nearly bumping into a distracted Ino, and saw his destination about halfway down the now empty hallway. When he reached his objective he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

When walking into the bathroom, across from him stood half a dozen sinks, a mirror hanging over them, and soap dispensers dispersed evenly along the wall, a paper towel dispenser on each side. On his right, along the farthest half of the wall there were urinals, and on the half closest to him were the stalls. Along the wall to his left were hooks for backpacks to be hung while the bathroom was being used; Sasuke saw two hooks were already taken. While Sasuke was passing the stalls, a second after walking inside he heard something strange.

"Oh shit!" whispered a familiar voice in a hushed tone behind the first door. There was the slight sound of smothered laughter and looking down he could see plain grey converse with black laces. If he had to put a name to the voice he would have said it was Naruto, not that he had any proof; the boy was in a stall and probably not going to come out by the sounds of it. _I could have sworn I saw Sai wearing a pair of shoes like that earlier today when he came into class…_

Sasuke shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts from his head of boys and their secret meeting places. This was probably nothing, there were probably a million boys who sounded like Naruto and had a pair of shoes like Sai did. The whole situation should not have been a big deal.

Haven taken care of the business he had intended to when entering the bathroom, Sasuke left whoever had been there before him to finish up what he had been doing in peace.

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Sai sat by Naruto at lunch. They had met at the same table they had been eating at for a while now. The food didn't look particularly appetizing, the vegetables had little color, the bread was so hard he could have cut diamond with it, and he could nearly push his thumb through the apple he had received. Sai lightly touched his foot underneath the table. Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, the fork that had previously been full of vegetables went flying behind him until he heard a frightened female shriek and a wet _splat_.

His entire table looked over at him, Sai raising an eyebrow in his direction, a slight smirk present on his lips. Naruto sent him a silent glare and stomped on his foot under the table, sending the message that it was _not_ okay to nearly make him shit himself when they were around their friends.

"Naruto, come with me for a minute." Sai said, with a smile, all of a sudden he seemed to be very excited, which of course excited and terrified Naruto at the same time, after that morning…

"Alright." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. _I know I'll regret it if I don't go…It can't hurt to just go with him and see what he wants, right? Worst case scenario I can aim a quick kick to get him away, though I doubt I would have to._

Both of the boys grabbed their backpacks and walked out of the cafeteria, dumping off their plates in the garbage on the way. The halls were empty at this time; everyone was either at lunch or in a classroom. They wandered down, Naruto falling into step with Sai, as was natural for them at this point.

Sai came to a stop outside of a bathroom door, looking around quickly he entered. Naruto trailed behind him, his eyebrows pulled together in a look of utter confusion. Inside Sai had already hung up his backpack on one of the hooks and was headed for a stall, mischief evident in his eyes.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom or something, Sai?" Naruto asked, not understanding the situation one bit.

"_No_, silly Naruto, you don't get it?" Sai chuckled when Naruto shook his head. "Hang up your backpack and come over here." He held out one of his hands, a sexy smile curving his lips, that mischievous glint back in his eyes.

Naruto, still slightly confused, hung up his backpack next to Sai's, walked over to where he stood in front of the stall, and took his hand.

"You know what's great about empty bathrooms, Naruto?" Sai asked, tugging Naruto slightly closer.

"What's that?" Naruto questioned, his head cocked slightly to one side.

"This." Sai smirked at him and pulled him inside the stall behind him, shutting it when they were both in.

It was a tight fit; he had to admit that much. There was barely enough room in the stall for the two of them, Naruto was pressed up against the door while Sai maybe only had enough room behind him to take maybe one step back.

Sai slide the lock into place behind his back and brought a hand up to Naruto's cheek, rubbing it gently with the pad of his thumb. He brought their lips together in a sweet kiss, just barely letting them brush against each other. Naruto brought a hand up to Sai's neck trying to bring him closer, desperate to get more friction against his lips. He heard a small growl come from Sai's throat as he grabbed onto Naruto's belt loops with his thumbs, pressing him against the door harder.

Naruto slid his hand into Sai's shirt a little from the neck hole, loving the feeling of skin he had yet to touch. They broke apart for a quick moment, just trying to catch their breath. The little stall was suddenly feeling like a sauna, much too hot for a high school bathroom. They both dove back in; eager to taste one another again, to feel that special connection they only had when they were together like this.

There was a small tug on Naruto's hips, a slight jerk forward. Before he knew it there were hands under his ass gently trying to pull him up as if by sheer force. Naruto understood the message and chuckled slightly against Sai's lips.

"Come on, Naruto. Be a team player here." Sai begged quietly, nibbling lightly on his lip.

Deciding to give in, Naruto jumped up slightly, Sai's hands catching him under his ass as he wrapped his legs around Sai's waist. Once again he was up against the door, his arms around Sai's neck as their lips reattached, Sai's hands wandering underneath him and up the back of his shirt. They were in this position when they heard the sound of the bathroom door opening.

"Oh shit!" Naruto whispered, jerking his lips away from Sai's. The boy he was currently wrapped around buried his face in Naruto's neck to muffle his quiet laughter.

They waited there for a brief moment, waiting for the mysterious boy on the other side of the door to finish up and leave. Finally they heard the door swing shut and Naruto was able to climb down from Sai before they exited the stall to grab their backpacks.

"If I didn't know any better, Naruto, I would think that you never made out in a bathroom stall before." Sai gave him a wink as they walked out of the bathroom, their backpacks over their shoulders.

**To Be Continued**

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So I am sure some of you guys out there are really pissed about this whole Sai and Naruto thing. Please stick with me though! This is not all about Sai and Naruto I promise you! This is all very important set up and I really just need you guys to listen to me when I say this: This is a SasuxNaru. They will get together in time. So please don't hate me for writing Naruto and Sai, because it needs to happen.

Other than that little note I would like to say that I am always accepting of pieces of artwork from my fans! I would love to see what you come up with!

Also, last thing, please review! You guys are the best!


	7. Chapter 7 Definitions

**Exploring the Darkness by **sasukelover154

_Chapter Seven: Definitions_

Go me for updating in a semi-timely manner! Reward me with reviews and it will happen again!

Please don't have on me too much for Sasuke and Naruto's bitching, it needs to happen and will become relevant, I promise.

Just bear with me on the whole Sai and Naruto thing, I promise that this is a Naruto and Sasuke story, this first part is very important and will become very relevant. Thank you for reading, as always and I can not wait to read your reviews and hopefully see some fan art at some point! You people are the best!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANYTHING ELSE IN HERE EXCEPT FOR MY THEME/PLOT THAT IS ALL MINE**

**Warning: Many gay make out scenes. If you don't like it, don't read it. **

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Sasuke could not stand another night alone in his apartment, not with those boys upstairs, right above his head. Instead, after getting a little bit of homework done, he decided to call his older brother, Itachi, to see if the older man had any plans for the night.

He had never particularly gotten along with his brother. Up until their parents had left them when they were very young, Sasuke about seven and Itachi mid-way through his teenage years, they had just never quite clicked. After that though, they had stayed together in foster care up until Itachi was of age, after that they had rented this apartment, where Sasuke still lived. Itachi lived in an apartment on the other side of the city, closer to his job at the local piercing parlor. Yes, his brother actually made a good living injecting people's bodies with metal. When the older of the two had gotten a new place to live, they had not wanted Sasuke to have to get up and change schools or deal with the long commute every morning, so instead Sasuke kept the apartment they had lived in, and Itachi moved out. With the combined money they got from the government and Itachi's job, they were able to keep both apartments without Sasuke having to get a job to interfere with his schoolwork.

Sasuke picked up his phone from where it had lain abandoned on the couch cushion next to him. He checked his text messages just in case someone interesting had tried to get a hold of him. Only stupid girls. How they kept managing to get his number, he had no idea. With an exasperated sigh he looked through his contact list for his brother's number, and when he came to it, he hit the call button and waited, the phone held up to his ear.

"Hello?" Itachi answered in his slightly bored voice when the ringing went silent.

"Hey Itachi, its Sasuke." Sasuke responded.

"Hey Sasuke, what's up? Haven't heard from you in a while." Itachi's voice was carefully controlled from years of dealing with occasional hysterical customers, but underneath he could hear the faintest hint of worry.

"Everything's fine, Itachi, I promise. I was just calling to see if you wanted to do anything tonight. I'm _so _bored." Sasuke let his voice take on a slightly whiny tone, he knew his older brother could not help but give in when Sasuke acted like this; it came from years of caring for his younger brother.

"Sure Sasuke, I was just about to make some dinner, do you want to come over? Maybe we can rent a movie or something." His brother's usually cool tone had warmed considerably.

"I can pick something up on the way over; you take care of the food. What do you want to watch?" Sasuke could feel that his night was going to be notably better than his week had turned out.

"Hmm…I think I'm in the mood for something scary, but not something that is overly gory." Itachi said after a quiet moment of contemplation.

"Sounds good to me, I'll be over soon, big brother." Sasuke hung up the phone after they exchanged goodbyes.

Sasuke stood up from the couch, slipped his phone into his pocket, and went about getting ready to leave. He grabbed a light, black jacket from his room, to cut the chill that would be creeping in by the time he got back. His shoes were still by the door where he had kicked them off when he got back from school. He made sure all of the lights were out in his apartment and grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter.

When he was sure he was ready to leave, he walked out of the door and made sure to lock the door behind him.

Sasuke walked into his brother's apartment with the plastic DVD case in his hand, Itachi was across the room, stirring a pot on the stove with a wooden spoon. The older male turned around when he heard the door open and threw Sasuke a rare smile.

"Finally you made it! I hope you're okay with spaghetti." With that, he turned back around to see to his pot.

As Sasuke slipped off his shoes as the smell of food wafted over to his nose. The sweet aroma of tomatoes and spices gently pleasured his nostrils. He could hear the roar of bubbling water that boiled the noodles. If there was one thing that Itachi could make, it was good spaghetti.

While the dinner was being finished up, Sasuke went about getting the table set for the two of them. By the time he was done, dinner was ready and Itachi was setting one small pot of mostly smooth sauce on a hot pad, and another pot of noodles next to it.

The dining room was not so much a dining room as it was a table in the middle of the large combined kitchen and living room. Both brothers sat down at the table and began to make their plates.

They were about halfway through their meals and small talk when Itachi started up on a subject he often turned to when they were together.

"When are you going to let me give you a piercing, Sasuke?" Itachi asked with a hand supporting his chin and a pout playing on his pale lips.

"Itachi, I told you before: I'm not going to get _anything_ pierced." Sasuke said with a sigh. "I get that you're a piercer and therefore have to have a ton and are always going to want to give them, but I don't want one."

It was an understatement to say that Itachi had many piercings. On his right eat he had one industrial through his cartilage, and on the rest of the space down to his lobe were filled with simple silver studs. On the left ear, he had studs all along the outside rim, and then on the inside there were several small hoops through various parts: rook, daith, tragus, anti-tragus, conch, and snug. Through his septum, there was a small black bar. In his left eyebrow, there were a few small silver bars. On both sides of his lower lip, there were two thin black hoops. There was even a small silver stud in his Monroe piercing. These were just the piercings on his face. There may have been many more body piercings, but Sasuke could not be sure.

If any piercing had been half a centimeter in a different direction, or if his face had been slightly a different shape, then the whole look would have been a complete train wreck, but on Itachi, it somehow worked. The reason may have been that because he was a professional and he did all his piercings himself.

It was not that Sasuke had never thought about getting a piercing, his brother was a great piercer, but he just did not know what he would get, or even if it would look good on his face. In addition, he was sure if he were to get a piercing; all of the girls that stalked him would faint from happiness or rip out the offending metal. Hence, he simply rejected the offer when it came up.

"Oh, come on, little brother. Just a small stud in your nose? In your ear? What about somewhere nobody would see? Nipple ring? Belly ring? Somewhere below the belt?" Itachi waggled his eyebrows in a provocative fashion, throwing his brother a wink.

"Itachi!" Sasuke threw a noodle from the pot at his brother's head, the other dodging it gracefully and letting the noodle _splat_ against the far wall. "How could you even _think_ of piercing your little brother's dick?"

"I'm not completely ignorant, Sasuke, I know that shit goes down that you might not want to tell me about." Itachi raised a hand in a nonchalant manner.

"I'm not piercing _anything_, not unless you get me drunk or similar. End of story." Sasuke glared at his older brother as he scooped the last of his noodles into his mouth.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke." Itachi answered with a childish smirk.

They placed the leftovers in Tupperware containers and stored their dirty dishes in the sink to be taken care of later.

"What movie did you pick up?" Itachi asked as they walked over to the couch and TV.

"I just grabbed a random one. When I was paying the girl said it had been very scary, so I figure it should be good." Sasuke answered with a shrug as he popped in the DVD and sat next to his brother on the couch.

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Naruto snuggled up in Sai's arms. They were holed up on the couch in Naruto's living room. It was late Friday night again, they had been hanging out since school got out; which basically meant they had put in some movies and intermittently made out, really only stopping to get some food in their stomachs. Currently they were spooning, Sai behind Naruto, his breathing tickling the back of the blonde's tan neck, one arm curled around his waist, the other playing with his hair. They were taking a break at the moment; their third movie had just ended, as did their most recent kiss. The dim blue light of the TV screen shed little light on their tangled bodies. Outside of the window, there was barely any light, only a faded orange glow from the few lonely light posts in the parking lot below. There were no sounds at this point, just the gentle breathing of each of each of the teens as they basked in the afterglow of their activities.

Finally, Naruto broke the relaxed atmosphere around them.

He turned over onto his other side, so that he was facing Sai. "So, Sai, what are we doing?" Naruto looked up into those deep obsidian eyes, question written all over his face. He brought a hand up to Sai's mouth, tracing his lips gently with the tip of one of his fingers.

"What do you mean, Naruto? We're laying on your couch." Sai said with a chuckle under Naruto's finger. "Unless, you would like to be doing something else." He shot Naruto a quick wink, wrapping his arms tightly around the blonde's waist.

"I meant what are _we_ doing?" Naruto said with a slight swat at the raven-haired teen. "Like about us, I'm just curious as to where we stand." He dropped his hands onto Sai's chest instead, a small smile on his lips.

All week there had been secret encounters between the two closet lovers.

On Tuesday afternoon, during a gym period they had not quite felt like going to, Sai snuck them into an old classroom. Sai told him that the teacher had long gone and the room had not been used in years, not even for substitutes. There was something about sitting on top of the desk, Sai standing between his legs and holding his face as they kissed. They whole thing felt even more forbidden than it already was. During their lunch period on Wednesday they stole to the sanctuary of Naruto's car, thankfully, not too many students went outside during lunch, and if they did then usually, it was to the other side of the school. Though the car was awkward for them, they made it work to their advantage the best they could. When classes were in session during the day, they tried to meet up in the bathrooms or empty hallways to sneak quick kisses before they were due to class. Finally, that morning, they made plans for Sai to come home with him again, as they had done last Friday.

"Well I guess I hadn't really thought about it to be honest." Sai continued the conversation. "You seemed like you were having fun, so that was my main goal, to make sure you were enjoying yourself." There was a coy smile on Sai's lips as he bent down to kiss Naruto briefly.

"I _have_ been having fun, Sai, I never said that. I enjoy our random make out sessions in odd places but I'm just wondering if we're ever going to be anything more than that…" Naruto blushed slightly as he put his head to Sai's chest in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

_If I had to admit it to myself, I would say that I really want to be with him…like something more serious than our make out sessions. I mean they're nice, but at the same time it isn't an emotional connection, it's only physical. I don't just want something physical…I want to be able to talk to him about more than just where we are going to meet up next. I want to know him as much as myself and for him to know me as much as himself. Maybe that's just asking too much from someone I've only known a couple weeks but I have never felt like this with anyone else before. I've dated girls and we've fooled around a little, but it's never felt like it has with Sai. I would be happy to just lay here and never let him leave, we could kiss or sleep, I wouldn't mind._

"Oh, Naruto." Sai whispered sweetly, he put a gentle finger under Naruto's chin and guided his eyes up to his own. "Did I ever once say that I didn't want to be more than this?" He tenderly pecked his lips, as if to symbolize their actions with the caress.

"Well no, but you never told me that you wanted to either." Naruto smiled sheepishly, absentmindedly fixing a stray strand of his hair.

"That's because I didn't want to rush you into anything. I thought we were both happy with this," he squeezed Naruto's waist between his arms with a smile, "so I wasn't about to start badgering you about being my boyfriend. I didn't want to mess up a good thing."

"I don't mean to sound like a whiny high school bitch or anything, but I don't just want to be used like this." He made a gesture at the position they were currently in, post make out and cuddling on the couch. _Oh God, I sound like such a little bitch! I need to man the fuck up and fix this shit._

"Naruto, I know that, and that's completely understandable." Sai gave him an understanding smile, his eyebrows pulling together over his softened dark eyes, lips curved delicately. "Why don't we just take everything slow? Like maybe go out on a date to the movies or something? I would much rather take this slow than fast, because I like you a lot."

"I think that could work out for us." Naruto said, a blush painting over his cheeks once again as he stretched out his neck to capture Sai's lips.

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Sasuke and his brother sat in silence throughout most of the movie, only voicing certain comments at times when they were sure they were not supposed to be "scared". The two brothers were almost never scared, there were a few times when they were surprised, but never _scared_.

Once the movie finished, it was beginning to get late. Both brothers got up from the couch and stretched their stiff muscles.

"I should get back home." Sasuke said with a sigh.

"You could just stay here, little brother." Itachi offered with a gesture to the spare room down the hall.

"No, I shouldn't. I have homework I need to get done tomorrow." He was not about to tell his brother that the only reason he had come over in the first place was because of the two gay boys screwing on the floor above him.

"Alright, if you say so." Itachi heaved a huge, pathetic sigh and gave his brother a small hug.

"I'll probably see you sometime next weekend." Sasuke said with a wave, the DVD back in the case and in his hand. He flashed his brother a small, rare smile before he walked out the door.

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The two teenage boys had been standing in the doorway to his apartment for some time now. Sai had said he needed to leave, it was getting late and he needed to be up early in the morning. Naruto gave Sai one more peck before he spoke.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you, Sai?" Naruto asked with a cute pout. "I really wouldn't mind it."

"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you?" Sai asked in a fake exasperated voice. "I _like _walking home at night."

"Yeah, I know, but I just feel bad because I know that you don't have to, I'd much rather spend the time with you." Naruto looked down at his feet in shame.

_I know we just agreed to take it slow but at the same time, I really do not want to, I want to tell him that I just want to be with him…to call him mine, that is all I really want…ugh I'm such a little bitch, I cannot believe I'm thinking this about another guy._

Sai put a finger under his chin to make him look up into those dark pools that he liked so much. "Naruto, this will not be the last time I see you, I promise. There is nothing to worry about." With that, he pecked Naruto's lips, gave him a fleeting smile, and exited the apartment.

Naruto shut the door behind the raven and heaved a huge sigh. "I guess tonight was productive. If digging myself into a bigger confused rut can be called being productive. I mean I guess at least now I know he wants to be with me…at least I think that was what he meant by that. I can't really be all that sure…It's like when we try to talk about anything that isn't just making out that he is just so vague and uncommunicative, like he isn't always telling me the whole story." He slumped over onto the couch and sat down heavily, his head in his hands. "I'm probably just over thinking this again. Holy fuck…I really am starting to sound like a whiny bitch."

The rest of the weekend went by fast for Naruto. He had an English paper he had to focus on and that was able to distract him for most of the time. That was not to say that he did not think of the beautiful raven, because he did. A lot. Although this time, he was able to work through the slow torture that came from being separated from the raven. There was something in the thought of Sai telling him that they would be seeing each other again. This quenched the fire surrounding his heart that usually made the time apart unbearable.

He was able to survive the weekend at least. In all of his excitement over Sai and their conversations, he had forgotten once again to get a contact number from his _almost-maybe-kind of-soon to be-_boyfriend. Of course, by that time on Sunday afternoon, he was kicking himself for his lapse in thinking.

Naruto pushed his laptop away, shoving it into his backpack with a sigh. Now that his homework was done, he had nothing to do. _Shit._ Naruto thought to himself as he stood up from the couch. _I need to get my shit together and quit being such a whiny little bitch._

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Sasuke woke up on Monday morning and dreaded going to school. Usually Sasuke did not like going to school, not to say that he did not go anyway, but he hated it either way; especially lately when he had to deal with his bad luck at always finding Naruto and Sai at an intimate moment.

He tried to shove the two boys out of his head as he went about his normal morning routine. After his shower, he made a pot of strong coffee; he had found that he needed it lately, as he had slept horribly the last few nights. Sasuke pulled a plain black shirt over his head and a pair of lightly wrinkled jeans onto his legs, he did not have anyone to impress so why should he care? He poured some of his leftover black coffee into a travel mug and grabbed his backpack from by the door while slipping in his shoes. His keys were in his hand as he shut the door behind him.

Vaguely noticing the blonde's car was not in its normal spot and chalking that up to the probable fact that he was already at school, Sasuke got into his car and left on his way. The day at school was relatively normal. Sasuke did however catch the two gay boys sneaking off several times. There seemed to be something inside him that made it impossible for him to be in the right place.

_It would be nice if I could have at least one day when I didn't have to find them slinking off to go and suck face._

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Wednesday afternoon came rather fast for Naruto. Sai was still pulling him off to secret hiding places so that they could make out in private. They never snuck off to talk though, only to do other things. Naruto sat in his last class of the day, Creative Writing, his head in his hand, currently staring at the back of a very attractive raven's head.

_I guess I can't really be very surprised. I mean we can talk normally in front of other people without worrying about what they might think. Friends do talk after all, but I just wish we didn't have to go sneaking around. It's almost as if he's ashamed of me…I'm not sure what to think of the whole situation. I understand that he doesn't want others to see us making out and stuff like that but when he pulls me away to some secret place…it doesn't feel romantic…it feels…dirty…_

The bell rang loudly above his head and Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at the harsh sound. Trying to avoid Sai's eyes, Naruto bent over in his chair to replace his belongings back into his backpack. When he was finally putting in his pencil, he heard Sai's voice from in front of him.

"Hey Naruto, would you mind coming to the library with me?" Sai asked with a cute pout as Naruto stood up.

"Yeah, no problem, Sai." Naruto threw the raven a quick smile in return and they set out for the library.

In the after school scuffle they were able to brush their hands up against each other's without anybody taking any notice to their actions. It was a quick walk and most of the students were heading in the opposite direction, towards the parking lot.

The high school library was typical. There were rows upon rows of shelves towering to the ceiling packed to the gills with numerous books. Dull fluorescent lights shone from orderly spots on the ceiling. The carpet was worn down significantly from the tread of student's shoes. Across from the main doors and off to the right there were several rows of outdated computers sitting on tables. The library was nearly empty, not many high school kids actually _used_ the library. Most of the time it was used during the day when a class needed to use a large amount of computers or needed the dusty old volumes for a research paper.

Naruto followed behind Sai who by passed the first few rows of books and kept walking until he found what he was looking for. Sai walked down an aisle that literally looked as if it had not been touched in years. Some of the volumes were so thick they looked to be wider than Naruto's own head and covered with so much dust that he would not have even been able to blow it all off with his several of his biggest breaths. The nearest light did not quite reach this aisle, it rested right in between the illumination of the lights in the rows right next to them. Because of this, it caused the row to be cast in a slightly creepy shadow.

Sai gently pushed Naruto against one side of the row, his hands against his chest and a sneaky look in his eyes.

"What are you doing, Sai?" Naruto asked, slightly flustered as he was pushed, a blush rushed up to his cheeks at the contact.

"Well I _was_ going to give you a kiss…but if you don't want to I can just go." Sai's eyebrows knitted together in a look of fake sadness at the false rejection. He began to pull away, just barely letting his hands leave Naruto's chest.

In response, Naruto grabbed the back of Sai's head, and brought their lips together in a sweet kiss like they had never shared before. His fingers tangled in the back of that short raven hair as the other boy's hands flew down to his waist to hold him tightly. Their lips moved pleasurably against each other as both set of hands tightened on whatever they happened to be holding on to.

Sai pulled away suddenly, chest moving rapidly with an attempt to catch his breath. His lips moved to Naruto's ear, giving him soft kisses that Naruto never thought those commanding lips were possible of producing.

"Naruto, be my boyfriend." Sai's voice was just barely over a whisper as he breathed in Naruto's ear. He placed another small kiss in the hollow behind Naruto's ear before he moved down to the tan neck, taking care to leave a mark without Naruto's noticing.

_Did he just ask me to be his boyfriend? Did I just imagine that? There is no way he is being serious, didn't we just talk about taking things slow and not rushing into anything? I can't say that I'm not happy though, this is all I've wanted since the first time that he kissed me outside my car at the movies._

Naruto felt that if he tried to speak at that moment that he would ruin the sweet command that had been given to him. Instead, he gently cradled the face that had attached itself to his neck and guided it back to his lips so he could give the raven a gentle peck and his large fox grin.

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Sasuke patrolled the empty rows of the library in search of a book he desperately needed to finish his History paper that was due in a few days. The librarian had sent him towards the back, where the more elderly books resided. As he was walking passed one row, in particular he saw the two tangled bodies of none other than Naruto and Sai, pressed up against one of the rows of books. With a roll of his dark eyes, Sasuke moved onto the next row and began searching for his book.

When he found the title just barely in his arms reach, he rose onto his tiptoes, snatched the dusty book from its confines, and began his victorious walk back to the checkout. However, this time he was stuck behind Naruto and Sai, although this time it was different from any other time he had seen the pair. This time they were attached at the hands, as if they were a serious couple and not just two hormonal teens dry humping each other at any chance they could get.

_They must actually be official now. I have seen them sneak off but never have I actually seen them doing anything as a "couple". I had just assumed they were friends with benefits, at least I always assumed Sai was the type to do that. Maybe now I can actually stop finding them in their little intimate moments and actually have a semi-normal life. Wait, shit this will probably mean I will see them making out outside of their classrooms. Fuck me._

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Their friends took Naruto and Sai's sudden relationship development surprisingly well. They all already knew that Sai was gay, but they were slightly surprised at Naruto's sudden coming out of the closet. Some claimed to have called the relationship would happen ever since the two became friends, which Naruto found slightly alarming as he had not even know about himself until a short time ago. Sakura was particularly supportive, although she did say that if Naruto were not gay, she would have gone after him. Overall, there was nothing too stressful, although there was the small issue of Sasuke always seeming to find his way near him and his new boyfriend when they were together.

It had started on Wednesday when Naruto and Sai had become officially a couple. They were exiting the row they had been occupying when Sasuke came up nearly on their heels. Naruto was sure that Sasuke had not meant to be so close to the pair but later on in the week, he was not so sure. They had settled into a steady agreement of where they would meet between classes so that they could talk and share a few quick kisses, and unfortunately, for them, Sasuke always seemed to need to take the hallway they were in to get to his class. They did not mind all that much, they were going to kiss and hold hands no matter who was watching; it just seemed odd that the other raven was always around.

Other than this small bump, their first few days dating had gone amazingly well. Finally, Friday came along and the new couple decided that they needed some time alone; along with the time they spent advertising their relationship. As always, they agreed to go back to Naruto's place and spend some time together.

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Sasuke's less than comfortable encounters with the new couple on campus left him more stressed than usual by the end of the week. It was because of this that when Ino approached him after lunch, even though he never liked having conversations with her, he relished the contact from someone else, and for the first time he did not shoot her down before she started talking.

"Hi Sasuke, haven't talked to you in a while." She said pleasantly with a smile, clearly forgetting that the last time they had talked, he had thoroughly insulted her. "Did you know I'm having another party tonight?"

"I didn't but why are you telling _me_ about it? Didn't I make it clear last time you asked that I was not interested?" Sasuke answered in his typical dull voice, though he had to admit to himself that he was vaguely considering the idea of getting away from his apartment for the night.

"Everyone changes their minds about some things. I was just letting you know that you are more than welcome to come, if you would like to." She flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder in what should have been an attractive way, but Sasuke just found himself itching to find a pair of scissors.

"I'll think about maybe coming, but I am saying right now that I do _not_ want to drink and drive." Sasuke let out a small sigh. He knew his resolve was cracking, as shown by the fact that he had not turned her down the second she spoke.

"That's no problem!" Ino squealed excitedly. "I would be more than willing to take you there, and there will be plenty of designated drivers just in case. No worries." She grabbed his arm in elation and nearly cut off all of the circulation to his arm.

"Sounds fine." Sasuke quickly pried the leech of a girl off his arm, shaking it to get the feeling of blood pumping back through his veins. "If you pick me up after school I would be willing to stay for a while." He hesitantly agreed.

Ino nodded in encouragement and called as she rushed off to her class. "I'll pick you up as soon as I stop by the store and grab a few things!"

_I can _not _believe that I just agreed to go to a party at Ino's house. I must be completely insane or desperate to get away from them. I can't seem to decide between the two. Well at least I will sure be in for an interesting night._

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_**Author's Note:**_

So was that completely horrible? I feel indifferent about it, but that might just be me, I'm not sure yet. Either way! The next couple of chapters are sure to be interesting! I promise! I am very excited to write them because I know how much fun they are going to be.

Let me know your thoughts on Itachi and all of his glorious piercings. Literally, I came up with his appearance as I was writing their little description of their childhood. I find piercings attractive and thought it would be fun to have at least one character covered in them. Who knows what will happen with that!

So let me know your thoughts and whatnot in a review! I am very interested to know!


	8. Chapter 8 Parties should be fun, Right?

**Exploring the Darkness** by sasukelover154

So this is extremely rare! I actually updated really quickly! What the fuck is this shit? Amazingness! You should reward me with reviews! What do you think of Sasuke going to a party? What do you think will happen? Well unfortunately for you only I know! But I love you guys and would love to know your thoughts! So please tell me in a review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto blah blah blah but the plot is mine.

**Warning: ** teenage drinking and dirty dancing along with more intense gay make out scenes and inuendos.

Please enjoy and send me a review please! Also I am always accepting of fanart for my stories!

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Sasuke only began to get interested in the party when the alcohol showed up.

Ino had come by his apartment not too long after school had gotten out. He left his car so that he would not have to worry about it in case he found himself wanting to drink. This way he would not be tempted to drink and drive. All he would have to do is call Itachi if he got a little tipsy.

Prior to the alcohol arriving, the "party" was simply a room full of teenagers sitting around and talking, sometimes with a movie or more often music playing in the background. Sasuke had grown tired of the socializing much too quickly. He was not what most people would call a "social butterfly". Sasuke preferred to sit in the background and silently laugh as the actions going on around him. Girls and boys trying to impress one another. Some teenagers completely ignoring others out of spite. Girls running off to the bathroom in pairs. He would just never understand some things.

His salvation finally came just as it began to turn into night outside of the living room windows. A few slightly older teens opened the front door to the house, holding a few large grocery bags filled to the brim with various bottles of alcohol and soda. They settled into the next room, the kitchen, and began to set up a makeshift bar, causing every teen in the room to snap their attention in that direction.

With several loud cheers of joy, most of the teens made their way into the kitchen to make themselves a drink. Sasuke waited until most of the crowd had dissipated to go and grab himself something.

As he looked around at the different bottles, Sasuke could only hope that the night would look up from here. At least he could be thankful for the fact that he was not at home. Sasuke settled on a red plastic cup full of a tan foamy liquid. Beer, he recognized the substance by its distinct smell. He did not dare get a better tasting fruity drink; for fear that some female would approach him out of the similarity.

Taking the first sip, he was thoroughly disgusted with the drink. It tasted cheap, tasteless, bodiless, and repulsive. Obviously, these people drank for the feeling of being drunk and not for the taste of the alcohol. With a sigh, Sasuke took his seat on the couch and took healthy drinks of his beverage. Anything was better than being at home.

As soon as everyone had started to consume alcohol, the atmosphere began to change. Someone turned on the stereo and began to blast some sort of pop music that sounded as if it belonged in a club, not a teenager's house. The TV, which had been previously playing some ridiculous movie that no one had been paying attention too, was shut off so the only sound in the room was the pounding beat of the music coming from the speakers at the stereo.

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The couple had finished dinner not too long ago. Their food had been slightly burned because they had become distracted on the kitchen counter while it was on the stove. Naruto had forced a chuckling Sai to consume the burned food, since he was to blame for it.

_Naruto had been sitting on the counted next to the stove, his legs dangling over as he leaned back on the palms of his hands. Sai wondered over from his position in front of the stove poking at their pan of grilled cheeses to stand in front of Naruto. He put his hands over Naruto's knees, drumming out a random beat with his fingers. Slowly his hands began to drum farther up. Sai's face was completely blank as he felt over the thigh of Naruto's pants, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for them. Finally, Naruto could not stand the touches anymore; he grabbed the back of Sai's neck and pulled him in for a heated kiss. After a moment, they smelled the foul scent of burning bread and cheese. Naruto was still blushing bright red when Sai moved to grab the pan and bring it over to the garbage._

"_What do you think you're doing?" Naruto called just before Sai tipped the pan over._

"_Throwing out our burned dinner." Sai gestured down to the pan in his hand with his eyebrows raised in question._

"_Oh no you don't, that was your own fault. You will eat burnt grilled cheese and you will like it." Naruto hopped off the counter and grabbed two plates for them out of the cupboard._

Naruto sat with his boyfriend on the couch. Naruto's back was against the arm of the couch, his legs swung over Sai's lap and their fingers tangled together as they smiled at one another.

"Sai, why were you so attracted to me?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to one side. "I mean since we first met in gym class you seemed hell bent on being with me. I'm not complaining, just curious why." Naruto was pleasantly curious as to what the raven thought of him. Sure, he thought of himself as good looking, and fun guy, but nothing that made him exceptional boyfriend material. He did not have a big enough ego to assume that he was the best thing to come along since sliced bread, in fact he thought there were many better people than himself.

"Your eyes." Sai said with a sweet smile. "I don't think I have ever seen such beautiful eyes. They're big and blue, I feel as if I can see forever in them." This last sentence came out in a whisper, as if he would scare away the blonde if he were to speak too loudly. "There's just something about them that makes me want to look into them forever. I don't think you realize how truly gorgeous they are, I mean, they're just perfect."

"You really mean that?" Naruto breathed in response. His heart felt light, almost as if it had grown wings and tried to fly out of his chest at the raven's lovely words._ No one has ever said something like that to me…I don't think I've ever even heard something so beautiful… especially out of Sai's mouth. I never knew he was capable of saying such things. He is such a sweet heart; I can't believe that we are finally together._

"Of course I mean it!" Sai responded with a light chuckle as his finger lightly tapped the tip of Naruto's nose affectionately. "And it doesn't hurt that you are totally hot." Sai winked as he wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and give him a squeeze, the comment mixed with the action causing Naruto to blush sheepishly.

"That was the kind of answer I was expecting." Naruto rolled his eyes before he laughed loudly at his ridiculous boyfriend. Leaning over he gently pecked the pale boy's lips, drawing away before he was sucked in.

"Come on, Naruto. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean that I'm a girl, I'm still a guy you know. I can appreciate a hot body when I see one, and you have a hot body." Sai wiggled his black brows provocatively and dove in for a long kiss.

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Sasuke had consumed many drinks. He was not completely and totally drunk _yet_, he was simply feeling _very_ good and not really caring about what was going on around him.

The loud music pulsated inside his chest. The insane bass felt as if it was vibrating all of the walls of the house. The only way to hold any type of conversation was to lean in close and half yell into someone's ear. There was not a whole lot of room on their makeshift dance floor, just the living room floor that seemed slightly small compared to the many writhing bodies gyrating against each other. Of course, there were other rooms to the house, but the music could not be as easily heard as it was from the living room. Sasuke refused to be a part of these actions taking place before him, as he did not feel like being so close to any of those bodies were he might catch a disease.

Sasuke sat on the couch, a cup of beer filled to the brim in his hand, as he followed the movements of the teens in front of him. Someone had turned off many of the lights in the room, casting mysterious shadows on the faces he could make out from the darkness. Many of the bodies melted together where they touched. Hips molded in unison with another set of hips. Hands roaming to unexpected territories that would have been otherwise forbidden. Lips found a patch of exposed skin and gently marked ownership. Clothes lifted for just the briefest of moments before covering up the mystery of what lies underneath.

By the time he had wrenched himself from his obvious staring moments later, Sasuke had realized that his once full beer was almost completely empty. Whether he had been steadily sipping it, or whether someone had stolen a few gulps when he was not looking, he did not know. With a final chug, he consumed the last of his drink and stood to replenish it once again.

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"Let's go for a walk. I don't feel like being inside right now." Sai suddenly pushed his boyfriend up from their sitting position on the couch.

"Okay, Sai, no problem." Naruto responded with a smile.

They pushed their shoes onto their feet and Naruto shoved his keys into his pocket as he walked out the door, Sai dragging along by the hand behind him.

The chilly air of the night hit their faces and hands as they stepped out onto the pavement. They clasped their hands tighter as they began taking similar length strides. The night was steadily turning inky black as the bright sliver specks began to emerge. Sai lifted his head up to examine the sky as they walked. Naruto could not help but notice how _right_ Sai looked out in the night, there was just something about him that fit in with the darkness. They belonged together. _I wonder if he knows how truly beautiful he is._

"I just love being out at night. There's just something about the darkness that's just comforting." Sai let out a relieved breath as a smile gently lifted the corners of his mouth and looked down at his boyfriend.

"Yeah, I guess I know what you mean. I just don't understand why you walk _everywhere_." Naruto rolled his eyes and nudged Sai with his shoulder, to show his attempt at a joke.

"It's just relaxing. I get time to myself, time to think about things I normally don't have time to. Plus it's great exercise." Sai shrugged his shoulders, as if the whole thing was not a big deal.

"Where do you even live? I've never been over there and you've never told me." Naruto cocked his head slightly as they crossed the street onto the other side of the road, straying farther and farther from the apartment building.

"I don't live all that far away, like maybe a ten or fifteen minute walk from here." Sai responded with a wave of his hand a vague direction.

Naruto nodded and let the subject drop. For a few minutes, all he did was enjoy the company of his boyfriend. However, at the back of his mind there was something nagging him. "Sai, not to be completely weird or anything but do you even carry a set of keys? I only ask because when we make out I definitely don't _feel_ any, and I never see you pull them out of your pocket when we get to my apartment." Naruto rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment as he admitted to the fact of what he paid attention to in their many make out sessions, his cheeks turning slightly pink while he spoke.

Sai laughed more loudly than Naruto had ever heard him laugh since they had met. "I don't need to have keys, my house is never locked. I can't even remember the last time I came home and the door was locked." He squeezed Naruto's hand, still chuckling. "But it's nice to know that you pay enough attention to what's going on in the region of my pockets to know what is and is not in them." Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Sai winking with a large smirk on his pale lips. Naruto's blush deepened considerably.

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Sasuke had to focus ten times harder on anything for it to make any sort of sense to him. It was as if the entire world was so insanely interesting that he could not give any one thing his attention for too long. He had lost track of how many drinks he had consumed at this point. Everything was beginning to become a blur as he lazily let his head begin to swivel drunkenly around the room, looking at the many crazily dancing pairs of teens. From the looks of things, mostly everybody was more than a little drunk, the only exceptions seemed to be the teenagers with a set of car keys, they must have been the designated drivers. These exceptions were the ones that could be seen on the outskirts, laughing and pointing at the shenanigans happening in the crowd.

The music seemed far more appealing now than it had before he started drinking. Despite this fact, Sasuke did not trust his legs enough to try to move along with the other bodies on the dance floor for more than the span of time it took him to go to the bathroom, for fear of causing a catastrophe. Even the simplest of moves he was observing looked to be too complicated for him to handle in his current state.

Sasuke had drunk before, never to this magnitude, but he certainly was not foreign to the idea. There had been occasions when he would have a glass or two of wine with Itachi, but only when the two were having a brother's night in. He had never been nor imagined he would be this drunk in his life. The room felt as if it was tipping around him, threatening to tip him over sideways, and he was only sitting down. He did _not_ want to think about how bad it would be if her were to try to walk anywhere.

During the strange silence between songs from the stereo, Sasuke heard a familiar voice by his side. Sasuke had not actually seen her since she had picked him up for the party and had assumed that she was busy mushing herself into the many sure to be sweaty bodies on the dance floor.

"Are you having fun, Sasuke?" asked Ino's voice as he turned to see her face, blinking several times to clear up the image that seemed to be right in his face.

"Yeah, it's not too bad, I guess." He nearly had to shout at this point, the music had started up again. Whether he was drunk or not, Sasuke was not one to admit to having a good time. _I'm not even sure if I _am_ having a good time right now, all I know is that I am pretty much hopelessly drunk. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Chinese and my cell phone's keyboard._

"Well that's good to hear at least." She flashed him what should have been a stunning smile, and he just raised an eyebrow in response and kept his mouth in a straight line. "I think you would have more fun if you maybe got your ass off the couch and started dancing with me." She took a long swig of her sickly sweet smelling drink, a small trickle finding its way down the corner of her mouth to drip off her chin and down into her low-cut shirt.

"No way in hell is that ever going to happen, Ino." Sasuke set his face into an icy glare to intensify his point. _Never will I ever go and dance. I do not dance normally and am sure as hell not going to start when I am pretty sure that I have lost nearly all the control in my legs. Fat chance drunken whore, you will not get me to move from this couch. This couch is my new best friend and I am sure as hell not leaving it for your bitchy ass._

"Come on, Sasuke. You could dance with me if you tried; I'm a great dancer you know." She winked at him and let a giggle escape her lips as a pink blush colored her cheeks.

"I do _not_ dance, and I am sure as _hell_ not starting now, Ino. It would be best for you if you just gave up right now." He turned away from her, signaling that the conversation was over with and he would not continue to discuss it. He returned to watching the many pairs of bodies not feeling the need to join them even for a second.

There was a sudden warm pressure on his arm, just barely sensible under the fabric of the light zip-up hoodie he wore over the dark cotton shirt. Sasuke felt hot breath against his neck for the briefest of moments and had to try his best to resist the urge to shudder from head to toe in disgust. The hand against his arm began to trace light patterns, the feeling similar to having an unpleasant electric shock run through his body. He could smell what was obviously vodka heavy on her breath. The mix of alcohol and soda was something so potent Sasuke swore he almost wanted to throw up right in her face just to show her how disgusting it truly was. _Why does she feel the need to make her club stink infect my area? I really could have done without smelling and feeling all of that. Who does she think she is? Why is she getting so close to me all of a sudden? Didn't I just reject her sorry ass? Can this little blonde bitch not take a hint?_

"We could always do…._other _things than just dancing." Her voice was a quiet whisper in his ear as she brushed it gently with her lips. "I'm good at doing things other than dancing, you know."

Despite his better judgment, Sasuke felt the alcohol in his veins making the decision for him. He found his legs slowly coming to life as he steadied his drink in his hand and balanced himself carefully on his feet.

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The two boyfriends stopped by a secluded street. Trees covered one side, on the other a row of houses with no lights illuminating the windows. Currently Sai had Naruto up against the trunk of a solid oak tree, his hands hanging on to the slight curve to his waist. Naruto clung to the tops of Sai's arms as if he would fall off a cliff if he let go. The teens were attached at the mouth for the millionth time, that is, until Sai moved his lips away. Sai bit at Naruto's neck sharply. Naruto gasped, thinking it was almost hard enough to draw blood. He pulled away from the raven and swatted him on the shoulder.

"Hey! That one really hurt!" Naruto pouted, his brows drawing up over his big blue eyes, the perfect look of sadness to make his boyfriend regret his actions.

"I'm sorry, Naru. I got a little carried away for a moment, it won't happen again." Sai spoke gently as he placed delicate feather light kisses on the abused spot. "It's sometimes hard to control myself around you." He whispered into the spot between Naruto's shoulder and neck.

"Well try a little harder; I don't want to date a vampire." Naruto tried his best to speak in a stern voice, but with the lips on his neck…he was finding the task difficult.

As Sai's lips moved against his neck in more gentle motions, his hands began to wander downward towards the hem of his light sweater. Sai's fingers just barely lifted the edges of the fabric, letting his hands slip under both the sweater and the shirt below. Naruto shivered as warm fingers touched the skin of his hips. Lips once again found his as Naruto's cheeks just barely dusted over with a faint pink. As they kissed once again, Sai gripped the arch of his waist and pulled them closer together.

Naruto just barely pulled away from his boyfriend and looked straight into those eyes that he had grown so fond of seeing light up. "You want to know what first attracted me to you, Sai?" Naruto asked in a whisper against his lips.

"What's that, Naruto?" Sai questioned as he circled his arms around Naruto's waist under his shirt.

"Your confidence." Naruto could not help but smile. "You didn't even know if I was gay or not, and at the time I definitely was not, but you kissed me anyway. You kissed me not caring if you got rejected or not, but you were going to make your feelings known." Naruto rested his forehead against Sai's and let their lips almost touch.

"I knew you couldn't resist me." Sai smirked confidently. "That much was obvious."

"How the _fuck_ could you possibly know that?" Naruto suddenly jerked back, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "I didn't even know if I liked you when I first met you, well as like more than a friend at least. There is no way that it could have been obvious to you if it wasn't to me."

"You didn't pull away when I kissed you." Sai smiled gently, as if remembering the encounter. "If you didn't like me then you wouldn't have let me kiss you, you would have pulled away or punched me in the face or yelled at me or something; but you definitely would not have let me kiss you. Therefore, obviously couldn't resist me."

"There's that confidence again." Naruto chuckled. "Maybe I didn't pull away due to the fact that you are an amazing kisser." He gave the raven a smirk of his own.

"That much I already knew though, you didn't have to tell me." Sai quirked an eyebrow in his direction before he pecked the blonde's lips once again.

"Let's go back to my place, being outside is nice, but I'm starting to get a little cold." Naruto pouted slightly to get some sympathy. In reality, he was not all that cold, nothing more than he could handle, but he had grown tired of walking around outside and just wanted to curl up on the couch back in his living room.

"Okay, but when we get back I shouldn't stay too much longer, I want to get up early in the morning and get some drawing in." Sai smiled as he pulled away from his boyfriend and let him straighten out his shirt and sweater.

"You know, you could just stay at my house, Sai." Naruto offered once again as they began the walk back to the apartment. "It really wouldn't be too much trouble."

"I would, Naruto, but I have a specific place I want to draw tomorrow and I want to make sure that I can get there in time. I'm sorry though." Sai gently brushed a lock of hair from Naruto's eyes and pecked him on the forehead as they stopped for a car to pass.

"You always have stuff to do." Naruto mumbled to himself as they began again.

When they made it back to the apartment they cuddled up on the couch to gain back some of the warmth they had lost on the walk. Naruto snuggled into Sai's arms as they lay on the couch in his living room. The TV was off, the lights were still off and Naruto would have been content if he never had to move again.

Unfortunately, Sai remembered after a short time that he needed to be getting home. Naruto did not even bother to offer a ride, he knew by now that Sai would not take it. Instead, he simply led his boyfriend to the door, exchanged goodnights, and gave him a long kiss.

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The room seemed to spin around him as he fought his way through the crowd on the dance floor. Sweaty hands grabbed at different parts of him and he had to try his best to swat them away before they got a chance to get any purchase. The pounding beat of the music seemed to be in tune with his heart, which had suddenly begun to hammer against his chest. The smells of alcohol mixed with other strange scents raised the hairs on the back of his neck. The closeness of all of the bodies around him made him feel almost claustrophobic, as if he could not get enough air to his lungs to survive. The lack of lights around the crowd was causing what little natural light that was coming from the windows to cast broken shadows. The shadows even seemed to move faster than the bodies that produced them. An elbow suddenly shot out of nowhere and knocked his once half-full beer to the floor. However, before it got a chance to fall, it happened to spill all over the front of his shirt and hoodie.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Sasuke yelled while he was whipping in the direction the elbow had come from; he was surprised the action did not send him toppling to the floor, though the crowd was so tight he would not have gone far. His shirt was now soaked through and sticking to his chest with the presence of the alcohol. When nobody turned around at his confrontation Sasuke growled through his teeth, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Ino grabbed his arm with a giggle and leaned in closer to his ear again before he could punch her or the offender's lights out. "Now that shirt is _really_ going to have to come off." She placed a hand on his chest, carefully avoiding the slowly spreading beer stain. Ino brushed up against him as she grabbed his hand to drag him forward.

_Why am I following her to God knows where? I don't even like her a little bit. She is unattractive to me, and a loud mouth, clingy bitch who thinks she is such hot shit! Why would I even bother giving her the time of day? I should just slip away into the crowd and let some other poor, pathetic loser get trapped in her spider's web._ Even with these thoughts, Sasuke still found himself trailing after her, curious as to how this was going to turn out.

Sasuke was pretty sure his ribs were bruised by the time they had made it out of the large crowd of people. There were sore spots in his sides as he rubbed some of the pain away. Finally, the last of the dancers were to his back and he felt as if he could breathe freely. Sasuke took large breaths in through his mouth and filled his lungs.

Ino was persistent on his hand and pulled him forwards toward the staircase. He looked around at all of the teenagers around him, barely able to make out one from the next in the black haze from the alcohol mixed with the nonexistent lights. With the hand that was not being occupied by Ino's, Sasuke gripped the railing to prevent himself from falling back down. The music was still loud in his ears, even as he made it to the landing on the second floor, though up here it was not so much loud as it was just a constant thudding of the bass. There was hardly a person on the second floor, most of them either were downstairs in the massive gyrating mob or had already gone home. Ino gave him a gentle shove forward so that he was face to face with a white door.

"I don't ever let anyone use my room, just in case I want to…you know." She giggle at him as she grazed passed him and opened the door to her bedroom with a wink.

Ino tugged him in roughly and shut the door behind her with a slam.

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_**To Be Continued**_

_**Author's Note:**_

**DUN DUN DUUUUUN!** What is this? Sasuke going into a bedroom with Ino? And they are both drunk? What is going on! Yeah, that just happened. What will happen next? Will you ever find out what happened after the door shut? What about Sai? Why is he always bailing?

What do you think of the idea of Sasuke being drunk? I know as serious as the whole thing was, I couldn't stop laughing. I'm a horrible person.

I think I finished this one so quickly because I was so excited to get it down, I just didn't want to do anything other than get this part of the story down, for some reason I just love this whole idea of Sasuke at a party.

I would love to know your thoughts in a review or private message! As always I would love to get some fanart!


	9. Chapter 9 What the hell happened?

Exploring the Darkness by _sasukelover154_

Sorry about this taking so long guys, I didn't get very many reviews for last chapter and I got really distracted so I apologize and I hope you can forgive me.

Just a quick note before you start reading: I actually have a Twitter now, so if you would like to follow me and check out when I'm writing and stuff, go for it! Maybe then I will seem like a real person! Maybe it's just me, but for some reason on here I always imagine everyone as a girl or not a real person…anyway!

Here's my username: EricaLorena93

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto blah blah blah but the plot is mine.

Warning: teenage drinking and dirty dancing along with more intense gay make out scenes and a Sasuke in pain.

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Sasuke woke up the next morning to different pains all over his body. He could never remember a time in his life where he had felt such pain. Beneath his bare back, he could feel the texture of the couch that he had slept on, along with the soft wool of the blanket he had. Without opening his eyes, he began to take stock of everywhere that hurt.

There was a constant pounding in his skull, the beat matched that of his heart and the ache made it feel as though his skull was going to spilt in two. There was a soreness around each of his ears, very slight compared to that of his ears but he was not all that sure why it was there. On his chest were sharp stings, more localized around his nipples if he was being honest. As he took in a large breath, he could feel the dull ache of fresh bruises along his ribcage. His legs felt heavy as lead and his arms felt like there were weights strapped to his wrists.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee reached Sasuke's nose. With a groan, he sat up on the couch and tossed the blanket off his torso. In his sleepy and hung-over state of being, he barely opened his eyes. The harsh light from the sun streaming through the window burned his eyes. He made his heavy legs move towards the kitchen and sat down at the table across from his brother.

"Good morning, you wonderful bag of sunshine." Itachi greeted him with a smirk. "How are you feeling?" He asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"I feel as though a got run over by a semi-truck." Sasuke glared at his older brother as his eyes slowly began to adjust to the bright light.

Itachi did not respond to his statement, he simply laughed at the pain of his younger brother and stood up from the table. He crossed over to the counter and pulled a red coffee cup from the cupboard. He poured the cup full of coffee and set it down before his brother before sitting back down cross the table.

"What happened last night?" Sasuke asked after a few minutes of sipping his strong coffee.

"I'm not all that sure what happened to _you_." Itachi smirked again. "All I know is that you called me pretty late and asked me to pick you up from some party. You were pretty fucked up. After you got in the car and I realized you were drunk and not injured at all, I just couldn't stop laughing." Itachi chuckled at the glare his brother gave him. "You told me some of what happened, but I'm pretty sure I don't know _everything_."

"Well thanks for picking me up at least." Sasuke mumbled after a sip of coffee.

"Oh, it was no problem." Itachi was looking at him oddly, with a smirk on his face, instead of caring _why_ he chalked it up to looking like shit from his adventures the night before.

Sasuke let the caffeine slowly infect his veins, not trusting himself to stomach any food for the fear that he would see it again soon after. His stomach still clenched on the empty feeling inside of him. After he finished his cup of coffee, he set it on the table in front of him.

"Maybe you should take a shower." Itachi said with yet another smirk on his lips. "Then maybe we can try to get some food in you."

"Yeah, ok, sounds good." Sasuke answered as he sat up from the table and placed his cup in the sink.

Sasuke took a couple of aspirin before he walked down the hall and into the bathroom. He had not even shut the door when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

"Itachi! What the hell did you do to me!" Sasuke yelled in fury at his older brother from the bathroom.

In the top of Sasuke's right cartilage shone a small silver stud. On his left ear, in the middle, there was a matching set of small black studs. Through his right nipple, there was a vertical black bar. In his left nipple, there was a horizontal silver bar. Now he knew the cause of the pain on his chest and ears when he woke up not too long ago.

"You asked me to!" Itachi shouted back through his laughter. Sasuke heard the sound of a chair scraping back from the floor and in a few seconds, his brother was standing in the doorway. "When I got you in the car last night you begged me to give you some piercings. I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't asked me to." Itachi smirked after finished laughing. "When I asked you what you wanted to do you told me to do exactly that." He pointed to the many new metal decorations piercing his skin.

"I can't believe I asked you to do this to me." Sasuke's brow twitched as he fiddled with the bar in his right nipple. The flesh stung slightly when touched, but in reality it did not hurt all that much.

"Oh come on." Itachi rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe. "They don't actually look that bad. Actually I think the look suits you."

Sasuke grumbled an unintelligible response as he glared at Itachi.

"Just be glad I didn't give you a tattoo like you wanted me to." Out of amusement, Itachi quirked a metal laden eyebrow at his younger brother.

"You were going to give me a tattoo!" Sasuke half yelled in his frustration. _A few piercings is one thing, they can be taken out and heal no problem, but a _tattoo_ is fucking permanent! That shit doesn't go away!_

"Not if you were drunk, your blood would be too thin." Itachi rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sasuke fumed at his older brother, his eyes set into a glare.

He threw his brother a smile before turning around. "Just make sure you wash them every now and then and don't mess with them too much, I wouldn't want you to get an infection. Let me know if you want to get any more." chuckling to himself, Itachi sat back down at the table and picked up the morning newspaper.

Sasuke closed the door on his older brother and returned to his reflection in the mirror. _I have to admit…I do think they look pretty hot._ He examined each piece of jewelry nestled in his flesh. _I guess the drunken me doesn't really give a fuck what other people may think of him randomly getting piercings. I think I'll keep them in for a while, who knows, maybe they will actually help keep some of the girls away._ At the thought of the girls that chased after him, Ino came to his mind. _Oh fuck me, what the hell happened with her last night? _Sasuke could only hope that he had not made a huge mistake.

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Naruto sat at his laptop on Saturday morning. He had slept on and off all night, tossing and turning, waking up before falling into a light, restless sleep once again.

Several nightmares plagued his mind as he attempted to have sweet dreams.

_Naruto saw Sai in his dream. Sai was sneaking around behind his back and screwing around with people he had never seen before. There was a flash of bright pink hair. Pale skin illuminated by the light streaming in from the full moon. Large green eyes stared forward, pupils expanded in the dim lights surrounding. Tangles of limbs collided on couches, beds, bathroom stalls, empty classrooms, and empty library rows. The only constant throughout all of the scenes, was Sai._

Naruto shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

_Don't think like that. He's with you now, not anyone else. He may seem like a flirt sometimes but he would never do anything to hurt you. You're his boyfriend now, nothing to worry about, Naruto._

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Sasuke lay back on his bed in the late afternoon. Even though he had slept in late, he still found himself feeling as if he was about to drop from exhaustion.

He had been trying for some time to remember the events from the night previous. "There is no way that I had that much to drink last night." He shook his head. "Not enough to forget _everything._"

Starting with the last the last thing he remembered, Sasuke replayed last night in his head. He was able to establish that through most of the night he had stayed on the couch and drank. He only vaguely remembered Ino approaching him, after that it began to get fuzzier and fuzzier. There was a small flash of a bedroom door before he was shoved inside and the door was slammed behind him.

"Oh shit, we went in her bedroom…I remember that now…Did we do anything?" Sasuke's eyebrows pulled together over his eyes as he thought about it. That was when he finally remembered.

_The harsh beat of the bass below them was cut off as the door was shut behind them. The beat could still nearly be felt through the floor but nearly all of the noise had been eliminated. His ears seemed to ring with the silence that seemed to surround them. He could practically feel the alcohol buzzing through his veins, with the sudden lack of sensation all of his senses seemed to be on hyper-alert._

_Sasuke felt the soft mattress under his back as the aggressive Ino shoved him down. The room was dark around them, even the curtains were closed over the window so not even the light of the moon was able to illuminate them. Ino pounced onto his waist, straddling his waist between her long legs._

"_Your clothes are soaked, Sasuke. You should take those off before you get sick or something. Let me help you with that." She bent down and put her hands on his chest, slowly pulling down the zipper on his hoodie. She pulled his arms out of the sleeves and before he knew it, his hoodie had been flung behind to back, to be lost somewhere on the floor._

_Ino ran her hands along the shirt covering his chest while slightly biting her lip. She dove her head down to his and crashed their lips together in a bruising kiss. Her mouth tasted sickly sweet of vodka; it was as if by kissing her he was able to have another whole drink. Sasuke had kissed girls before with some pleasure, but never like this. It was almost as if when her lips touched his, he had to fight the urge to throw up in his mouth. As she forced their lips to move together she slithered her hands up under his shirt and felt at his stomach muscles. His stomach reflexively cringed in as he felt the cold tips of her fingers groping at him. Soon she grew fed up with the fabric impeding her eye rape and she ripped the shirt over his head, only letting them be separated for a brief moment. She looked down at him with hungry eyes before she demanded his lips again. Her claws felt like ice as they ran over every inch of flesh that was now fully exposed to her._

_As she moved over to nibble and kiss on his ear, she began to pull off the small sweater that had been sitting on her shoulders. She tossed the garment somewhere into a corner before taking the hem of her light shirt in her hands and pulling it over her head. Since she had needed to detach herself in order to rid herself of the shirt, when she had tossed it off somewhere with their clothing she took to his neck instead. She pressed her chest up against his as she molested his neck with her mouth. Her hands made it around to her back and unclasped the bra that was the only thing keeping her chest covered; the garment joined the group on the floor. She slowly began to inch down her skirt-covered hips over the top of his waist so that instead of being slightly hunched over, she was able to lie down more flat. Once again, Ino lunged back in for a fierce and bruising kiss; she kept this up for several minutes._

_When Ino pulled away the next time, Sasuke saw something funny._

_What Sasuke saw was something completely and utterly gorgeous. The blonde hair was cropped short and styled into natural spikes around the head. Even in the darkness, the perfectly tanned skin shone brilliantly. The big blue eyes seemed to sparkle in a hazy lust filled stare. Little huffs of breath caused the flat chest to rise and fall rapidly with the newly ended actions. Well-muscled thighs sat on top of his hips, both clad in nothing but a pair of dark jeans. This time when the hands ghosted over his chest, they were warm and welcoming. Sasuke could feel his lips pull up slightly at the corners as he looked up into those lovely pools of blue. The slightly darker pink lips curved as well, a light blush dusting across the cheeks. Suddenly those lips appeared on his and all he could think about was the soft touch of the flesh. The pair fit together perfectly, no gaps between their flawless lips. The drunken, bruising kiss was replaced by something warmer, more affectionate. Immaculately tanned fingers wound their way into Sasuke's hair in the heat of their passion. All Sasuke could do was move his lips in unison to those above him, his hands reached up to grasp the bare shoulders, keeping the body close to him. Slowly the other's hands descended, brushing over Sasuke's slightly muscled abs, stopping for a brief moment to circle his belly button. Their lips separated, barely more than an inch between them. _This is odd; I could have sworn I was with Ino…but I like this more…_Sasuke started thinking again when a tanned finger began tracing the lines created by his hipbones. The tan hands suddenly turned pale and cold and began to pull harshly on the belt securing his pants. Sasuke shook his head to dispel the illusion and came back to reality._

_Ino sat on his lap as he lay back on the bed with his arms now at his sides, currently her small hands were attempting to undo his belt to take off his pants. _I can't do this _Sasuke thought to himself as he swatted her hands away from the front of his pants._

"_Oh what's that Sasuke? You want to do it yourself?" Ino spoke in a smug tone and smirked at him._

_Sasuke sat up and supported himself on the palms of his hands. "I can't do this, Ino." Ino looked at him as if he was beginning to go crazy. He tried gently pushing her by the shoulders, to signal that she should get off his lap without being rude, but she was not having that; Ino pushed back, her face set into one of determination._

"_There is a half-naked girl on top of you," With a hand she made a gesture down to their current situation, "which is pretty much every guys dream, and you are saying that you can't do it? Seriously?" Her mouth hung slightly open and her perfectly plucked blonde eyebrows drew together._

_Sasuke pushed on the side of her right arm gently, trying to push her off his lap. She tried to fend him off and keep her position, but the mixture of alcohol and him being much strong finally won out. She fell sideways off his lap, and caught herself on her left hand._

_Sasuke scrambled up from the bed, his legs slightly numb since the release of the weight on them. Ino stumbled off the bed behind him, persistent as always._

"_Why won't you do this with me? You seemed so into it just a minute ago." She pouted him as he grabbed his shirt off the floor._

"_Because Ino," He turned his back on her and tried finding his thrown sweatshirt, "I can't stand the thought of being with you like this or at all really. It makes me sick." He took a few steps toward the door and turned around to face her, his face contorted with faint hate and disgust._

_Ino's face had fallen, the look of confidence and lust had disappeared, one of pure depression replacing it. Her big blue eyes looked to nearly be on the verge of tears as she looked to the floor. Sasuke rolled his eyes, unable to tell if she was trying to make him feel bad for her or if she was really that upset about the whole situation._

"_But I've just liked you for so long, Sasuke. I thought tonight might finally be my chance to be with you for real." She found her bra on the floor by her feet and began to put it on, so she would no longer be half-naked._

_Sasuke pulled his shirt over his head and finally saw his sweater closer to the door. _I have to get out of here_ he thought to himself._

_Turning his back on Ino, Sasuke faced the door and crossed the few large strides to his sweater. He scooped the fabric with one hand, and the other he placed on the doorknob. Sasuke turned in the last second to look at Ino, just so that he could barely see her face. A small sigh escaped his lips. _Maybe it's the alcohol, but I feel kind of bad for her_ he thought. At this point, he knew that he could simply never go through with it._

_Sasuke opened the door and walked out, the music from downstairs increasing with the loss of a barrier. His head was spinning now; he could not make sense of the thoughts running through his head. All he knew in that moment was that he needed to get out._

_Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Sasuke took the stairs as quickly as he was able to in his still mostly drunken state. The music got progressively more loud and intense as he descended, and finally when he made it to the bottom it was back to the insane thumping that seemed to be inside of his skull itself. He held his phone in his hand as he maneuvered through the now slightly smaller but still rowdy crowd. Finally his hand was in reach of the front door and he exited as fast as he could._

_The air outside was chilly now that it was early morning, his beer soaked shirt and sweatshirt not helping to keep him very warm. The stars above were small pinpoints of light next to a bright shining moon that cast its silver light all over the street. The cold air helped to clear his head some, instead of his thoughts being a complete and total jumbled mess; it was an organized jumbled mess. Sasuke sat down heavily on the small porch's stairs, setting his phone down next to him. He rubbed at his face with his hands and ran them through his hair in frustration._

I can't believe that I just nearly had _sex_ with _Ino_. What the fuck is wrong with me? There's no way that I am that messed up, right? Holy shit, this is unreal. I must be dreaming._ He quickly pinched his arm, wincing slightly as pain shot up from the spot. _Okay well I'm not dreaming. But if I'm not dreaming then why the hell did Ino randomly transform into someone else? I'm pretty sure that's what happened, seeing as I don't think Ino's hair just randomly got shorter for a minute and she became flat chested….What the fuck _was_ that? And I actually kind of really liked kissing her when she was different…What the fuck is wrong with me. I don't even know what happened. This night has been so messed up, I thought that I would be fine, I didn't even really plan on drinking this much when I originally came here. Fuck. I need to get home. I need to get my mind off all this shit that is going on, I can't deal with it in this state.

_Sasuke grabbed his phone and dialed his brother's number. He held the phone to his ear, praying that his older brother would still be awake at what was probably this ungodly hour, he had not even checked the time. The ringing would not stop for at least half a minute. When the voice picked up it was slightly tired but still sounded relatively conscious._

"_Hello?" Itachi answered._

"_Hey Itachi, its Sasuke." Sasuke replied, trying his hardest not to get lazy and slur his words._

"_Sasuke? What are you doing calling at this time of night?" His tone was slightly reprimanding, just the slightest hint of worry._

"_I was at a party…well actually to be correct I am _at_ a party…and I kind of need a ride home." He was hesitant to confess his predicament, worried that Itachi would get pissed at him and refuse, or give him some huge lecture._

"_Where are you, Sasuke?" Itachi's voice was not mad; it was more concerned for his little brother's wellbeing._

_He gave his brother Ino's address and Itachi said that he would be there shortly and not to go anywhere._

_The two brothers hung up and Sasuke was left sitting on the porch, his phone dangling from his limp hand as he placed his other on his forehead._

_The time passed relatively fast as he tried to make himself keep his mind free of what nearly happened in Ino's bedroom._

_Soon enough there was the sight of headlights rounding the corner and coming down the street. There were surprisingly few cars on the road, as most partygoers would call for a ride or go in one of the designated driver's cars. Itachi pulled up in front of the house and Sasuke got to his feet. He stumbled slightly on his feet as he crossed the path to his brother's car._

_The warm air felt pleasant against his skin as he entered the car. It felt good to be away from the party, away from the loud noises, dirt smells, sweaty teenage bodies humping against each other and temptation of alcohol. Itachi's brow was furrowed as Sasuke strapped the seat belt on, as if analyzing him for injuries._

"_Sasuke, is everything alright? You look like shit and smell like a bar floor." He delicately picked at the fabric of brother's shirts, obviously feeling and smelling the beer soaked into them._

"_I'm fine, I just had a little too much to drink…and there was this thing with this girl, it was nothing really, nothing happened." Sasuke did not want to tell his brother everything but knew he should. "She pretty much tried to trick me into bed with her, but I got out of there like a bat out of hell. Nothing to worry about." Sasuke pushed his raven bangs out of his eyes, trying to help him see some._

_Despite all of his worry, Itachi was able to laugh at his little brother's predicament. "Sasuke, I didn't know you were such a lady's man." Itachi said while he was still chuckling. He put the car into gear and started on the way home. "She finds you at a party, you get drunk, she seduces you, and you bolt."_

"_She didn't seduce me." Sasuke mumbled as he crossed his arms and looked out the window. "I just didn't want to get with her like that, she's wretched."_

"_Oh, that's right, little brother, girls have cooties don't they?" Itachi had to let out a bark of laughter at that, now that he was sure his brother was safe, he had to admit that the situation was rather funny._

_Sasuke looked over at his brother and studied him intently. The dots of metal scattered across his ears, a few colored, mostly black or sliver. The lines and curves of black and silver twisted into the flesh of his face. The amount of pain that had been experienced to obtain these had probably been immense, but his brother obviously thought it was worth it, as he had dozens upon dozens and was even thinking about getting a tattoo soon. Maybe the pain was a good distraction, or maybe the pain did not hurt him as much as some other pain he had experienced._

"_Itachi, give me a piercing." Sasuke said suddenly his face set in determination._

"_What!" Itachi nearly swerved off the road when his brother made the request. "Are you serious?" He asked once he was centered and had regained his composure._

"_Yes, I've decided that I want you to give me a piercing. You've been itching to for years, haven't you?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at his brother, he was sure that he would have been excited about it._

"_I just never thought you would let me!" Itachi chuckled lightly and gave his brother a small smile. "I would be more than happy to give you a piercing or two."_

"_Could you give me a tattoo too?" Sasuke asked after a minute of contemplation. If he was going to get a few piercings, he may as well complete the look._

"_I can't do that while you are drunk, little brother. You would bleed all over the place. And besides, I don't have the proper equipment or experience to do that yet." Itachi laughed at his bother again._

"_Damn, I thought I might look pretty badass with a tattoo." Sasuke was slightly disappointed, he had always secretly thought about getting one, not as a sign of rebellion or anything, just as a statement of who he was. He thought that meaningless tattoos were stupid and pointless, but something that had a deep meaning…that was okay._

"_Maybe we will be able to ink you up one day." Itachi said with a smirk and quirk of his eyebrow. _

_The rest of the ride back was relatively uneventful. Sasuke's stomach did not particularly care for the car ride. All of the twists and turns the car made were making his stomach knot and twist as though someone were wringing it. Sasuke stared out the window mostly and tried to keep himself from throwing up his night of tomfoolery. Itachi navigated the dark roads as if he knew them like the back of his hand. Sasuke was slightly surprised when Itachi pulled into his apartment complex, not that he was going to complain, at this point, all he wanted was to get out of the car and back on solid ground. _

_Itachi held onto his shoulder as they walked up the stairs and into his apartment, probably for the fear that Sasuke was either going to keel over and vomit or simply pass out at any moment. It took a few minutes to make it up to the door but when they did, Sasuke was sure that he had never been happier in his entire life. _

"_Sit down on the couch. I'll go and get you something to change into and get my supplies." He led Sasuke over to the couch and sat him down. "Give me your wet clothes." Itachi made a gesture to the wet garments._

"_Don't bother with a shirt." Sasuke said as he unzipped his hoodie and gave it to his brother before whipping his shirt off over his head and handing that over. "Just get the supplies."_

_Itachi disappeared for a few brief moments and when he came back he was holding several items. In one hand, he had a box of rubber gloves and on top of that was a small clear plastic box filled with different needles, all of different diameters and lengths. On top of that was another small clear box, but this one filled with different earrings: barbells, hoops, studs, horseshoes, and even a few tapers. In the other was a large bottle of disinfectant, some Q-tips, and a few paper towels._

"_What would you like?" Itachi asked as he set down the materials on the small coffee table in front of him._

_Sasuke thought for a moment, he had not actually known what he was going to get, he just knew that he wanted to get a few piercings. He fingered the shell of his ear, trying to decide where the best spot would be for his first piercing. "First, right here." Sasuke answered as he touched the top of his cartilage, right where it began to curve down. _

_Itachi cocked his head to one side and looked at his brother in curiosity. After studying him for a moment, he nodded and set about in preparation. He moved around to the other side of the table and sat down on the couch next to his little brother. He picked up the bottle of disinfectant and after he had unscrewed the cap, he set it on the table and poured some of the liquid into it. He snapped on a pair of the gloves and picked up the box of rings, pouring the contents into his slim hand. Itachi moved a few around with the tip of his finger and when he found a small silver stud, he picked it up and dropped it into the cap. Next, he grabbed the box of needles and picked out the right size, when he had done that he placed that in the disinfectant as well, sharp point in the liquid and the end resting against the edge. While those two pieces of equipment were soaking, Itachi grabbed a Q-tip from the small pile and dipped one end into the liquid._

"_All I have to do is clean the area and I'll pierce it. We can see after if you want to do anything else." Itachi said this as he turned to his little brother. "All you have to do is face forward and try not to move too much."_

_Sasuke turned forward, exposing the side of his head. He could feel the cold liquid against his ear as his older brother quickly cleaned the curve of his ear on both sides. Sasuke could not see as Itachi finished prepping, he knew what was about to happen when Itachi gently but firmly held the shell of his ear._

"_You're sure you want this?" Itachi asked, briefly hesitating._

"_Just do it." Sasuke knew he was still pretty drunk, he had sobered up slightly but not all that much._

_There actually was not very much pain when the needle pierced through his cartilage. The most disturbing part was the _crunch_ of the cartilage as the needle pushed its way through. When the needle was all the way through, Itachi left it in for a moment. He pulled away to inspect his work._

"_The angle looks good, not too shallow or too deep." Itachi said as he leaned forward to check it out from a different angle. "I'm just leaving the needle in for a minute before I put the earring in."_

"_That was it?" Sasuke asked in surprise. "That didn't even hurt hardly at all. I barely felt it." He attributed it to his still being drunk, and therefore his perception of pain was off._

"_Should be fine now." Itachi said after a moment. Itachi fished the earring out of the disinfectant, spilling most of it onto the table, and dried it quickly on a piece of paper towel. He put the piece of paper towel to the side and set to work putting the earring in. after the needle was pulled out, Itachi replaced it in the cap. Besides the initial slight sting, the placement of the earring was not very bad._

_They repeated the process after Sasuke decided to place the second and third piercing right next to each other in the middle of the shell on his left ear. Finally after both had earrings placed, Sasuke touched each ring with a face of curiosity._

"_Anything else?" Itachi asked as he cleaned up the small mess that had accumulated thus far._

_Sasuke thought about it for a moment, but finally thought to himself, _Why the fuck not?_ "My nipples." Sasuke said with determination. Itachi sat next to him on the couch and, turning his head to look at his brother._

"_Are you sure about that, Sasuke?" Itachi's eyebrows rose in a questioning fashion, his teeth automatically began to rotate and twist the hoops through his lips out of nervous habit._

"_I'm sure. Why not? It's just a piercing, they can be taken out." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders._

"_Alright but it's going to hurt, more than the cartilage. Don't complain to me in the morning if you don't like it." Itachi said as he leaned forward and once again began to get everything ready. "How do you want them? What kind of rings?"_

"_In my right, I want a black, vertical bar. In my left, I want a horizontal, silver bar." Sasuke said while pointing to the bars he wanted._

"_Alright, just wait a minute, this will take a little bit more preparation." Itachi said as he stood up from the couch. This worried Sasuke slightly but he ignored it._

_Itachi disappeared for a brief moment and when he came back, he was carrying a small pair of forceps, and after stopping at the freezer, a couple of small icepacks. After putting on a new pair of gloves, he searched through the neat box of needles and found the one he needed, setting it aside. He filled the cap of the disinfectant once again and set the needle and rings back inside once it was filled. He grabbed one of the Q-tips and cleaned the area around his right nipple. When he was done, he grabbed the forceps and the needle and turned to his brother._

"_Lay back on the couch, and try not to punch me or anything. Remember, you wanted this." Itachi said with a warning tone to his voice._

_Sasuke lay back on the couch and turned his head so he was staring at the cushions. _Ears are one thing, I don't want to have to watch this._ He felt the cold metal of the forceps grip his nipple firmly. There was a brief moment of hesitation. _Maybe I shouldn't have asked for this._ And then came the pain._

_Sasuke never would have thought shoving a needle through a piece of skin could be that painful, but when that needle drove through his flesh he nearly screamed out. He was able to control his voice enough so that he did not end up crying out like a little girl. There was another sting at what he assumed was the bar slid into place and then he felt the refreshing cool of the icepack soothing his irritated skin._

"_First one is done." He heard Itachi's voice from no more than a foot away._

"_That…smarted a bit." Sasuke said as he adjusted the ice pack on his nipple._

"_Do you still want to do the other one as well?" Itachi raised an eyebrow in question._

"_Might as well, I've already got one, it would look silly if I didn't get both." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as he was still laying down on the couch._

"_It isn't going to hurt any less." Itachi said with a slight smirk to his younger brother. "Remember that you said you wanted this."_

"_Yeah, I know." Sasuke said with a small glare. "Just do it already."_

_The painful process was repeated once again, this time a horizontal bar was inserted into his left nipple._

_Sasuke held the ice packs to his nipples; the pain was mostly numbed by now. Surprisingly they had barely even bleed._

_Itachi cleaned up the table and put away his supplies. After noticing Sasuke had moved one of the ice packs from his nipple to this side of his head, he must have figured that it was time for his little brother to go to bed. Itachi stopped in the kitchen for a brief moment. He reached up in the cupboard and grabbed a bottle of pills. He unscrewed the cap and placed a few in the palm of his hand. After, he replaced the bottle in the cupboard and took out a plastic cup. He took the cup over to the sink and filled it almost all the way full with cold water. With a small smile on his face, he brought the items over to his brother._

"_The Tylenol should help with both the pain from the piercings and the hangover in the morning." He gave them to Sasuke once he sat up and placed the icepacks on the coffee table. "And I want you to drink all of the water; that will help too." He left his brother for another minute to put the ice packs away and grab a blanket from a closet down the hall._

_Sasuke was exhausted by this time. There was a dull pounding in his head; it felt as if the walls were spinning around him as he sat. He popped the pills into his mouth and chugged the water down behind them. His brother returned with a big wool blanket and a kind smile._

"_It's been a long time since I've been able to take care of you like this." Itachi said as Sasuke lay down on the couch with his head against the armrest. He threw the blanket over top of his brother and made sure all of him was covered up before he grabbed the cup and refilled it at the kitchen sink. When he returned, he placed the water on the table beside Sasuke._

"_Thanks for letting me stay here." Sasuke said as he shoved the hair off his forehead. "I don't think I would have been able to handle myself if I had went home alone." He gave his brother a rare and grateful smile. _For all I know, I could have ended up sleeping in an airport tonight. I'm glad I at least had the sense to call Itachi, who knows what could have happened otherwise. _Sasuke thought this to himself as he pulled the blanket up to just under his newly pierced nipples._

"_I'm your big brother, what good would I be if I couldn't take care of your drunken ass?" He smirked slightly but touched the top of his brother's head affectionately._

_Itachi left his brother and turned off the light on his way down the hall to his bedroom. Sasuke adjusted more comfortably under the blanket, shifting his head so that his earrings would not be irritated by the armrest, nor his nipple rings by the blanket._

_As he let his mind drift off to sleep, he kept on returning to that moment with Ino. The image of the tan blonde above him, touching him, kissing him, making him think of things he never had before. The apparition was so vivid he could have sworn the blonde had been right there in his lap. The last thing he could remember before he fell asleep, were something he could have never admitted to himself while sober._

I think I know why I couldn't go through with it…is because I don't like girls…

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_**Author's Note:**_

So what did you think?

As always I am willing to accept fanart, I would love to see what you come up with!

Remember that you can follow me on Twitter at **EricaLorena93**!

I might be starting a new story again soon just so that I can have something else to write about as well, but if I do you guys will be the first to know!

Thanks for reading and I hope to get a review from you!


	10. Chapter 10 Anniversary

**Exploring the Darkness** by _sasukelover154_

Hello dear readers! I know this is long over due and I am not going to try and make excuses I will just let you get to reading.

But real quick I just want to let you all know that I will always accept fanart and that you can follow me on Twitter at ** EricaLorena93**. Enjoy and please send me a review lovelies!

**Disclaimer:** do not own anything.

**Warning:** mild nudity, mild swearing, you guys know the drill.

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Sasuke spent the next few months avoiding his thoughts. He did not want to recognize his drunken realization. He did not want to give the thought any possible merit. He wanted nothing more than to forget everything.

Ino seemed to stare at him with the eyes of a puppy. Sasuke had not attempted to talk to her since the incident, and he had no intentions to change that any time soon. The last thing he wanted to do was hear about how much she wanted to be with him or any of the other girly things she had to say about him. _I have no feelings for her, I never have and I know that I never will._

Naruto and Sai only seemed to get closer in their relationship; they were damn near inseparable during the school hours. Sasuke went out of his way to avoid them; he arrived right before his first class, he took the longest way possible to his classes, came into the classes they shared at the last possible minute, and left right after school ended. _I just don't care to see them together, I just can't stand the thought of it, let alone _seeing_ it._

He did not want to think about what happened in the blonde's apartment after they went to school, or what had occurred on _that_ night. Whenever he thought of the blonde, all that came up was his vision while he had been making out with Ino. It had seemed so real, and he had liked it so much. He could not shake the image. He showed the real blonde no emotion, he did not look his way in class or in the hallway, and he treated him as if he did not exist in the slightest.

The next few months passed in a long, boring stupor. Sasuke went into school, ignored mostly everyone, and then always either went straight home or went to his brother's apartment to do his homework; that is if he really did not want to risk running into the couple.

Itachi never seemed to question why Sasuke was over so much lately, he just welcomed his brother and let him know that he was there. There was no way that Sasuke would be able to let his brother know about what happened, not until he was sure about it himself.

_What the hell am I going to do about this?" _Sasuke thought to himself one night as he lay in bed waiting for sleep to overtake him. Recently he had been plagued by dreams where a blonde would be constantly hovering over him. _I don't have to do anything. I can pretend that it never happened. That night does not exist._

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Naruto and Sai were just finishing up with their third month of dating, and their official four-month anniversary was coming up on the weekend. The last four months had been great; Naruto and Sai spent most of their free time together; either some secret place in the town, or snuggled up on Naruto's couch. _ I love being with Sai, I can't stand it when I'm not with him and when I am all I want to do is stay with him and never let him go._

They had their problems though; it was not a perfect relationship, no matter how much Naruto lied to himself. Sai never seemed to open up to Naruto. He was always up for a hot make out session but as soon as Naruto tried to make conversation, he would say something perverted, and dive back in to kiss him. Naruto never tried to read too much into it, they had not been dating very long, so there was bound to be a period where they were getting used to how each other operated. He just tried to let what was meant to happen, happen. _We're just getting started, usually the beginning of a relationship is just physical stuff anyway, and then we _really_ start to get to know each other. I just wish we would hurry up and get to that point already, I just care about him so much…_

Naruto sat in class on a Friday afternoon, he had mentally checked out a while ago. Their anniversary was tomorrow and he had no clue what he was going to do. He rest his chin in the palm of his hand as he stared blankly at the chalkboard.

_I don't know what to do for our anniversary._ Naruto whined to himself. _This is the first time that I have ever actually been with someone long enough to give a damn about an anniversary. Usually I'm only with a girl for a month or two before I bail because I just don't feel the same way, but this time I actually really like him, and want to make him happy. I want to make this special for him too, this isn't just about me…I know this is new to him too…What can I do?_ He ran a few ideas through his mind but ended up just shaking his head out of frustration. _I don't want to be too cliché…so no dinner and a movie, that's just unoriginal and says "I put no thought into this whatsoever and only thought of this last minute so you would not be pissed at me", and the only reason I am thinking last minute is because I haven't been able to think of anything. Maybe…I could get flowers, some of his favorite candy, and rent a movie for the two of us to watch? Maybe I could even surprise him, like tell him I can't hang out tonight and then show up at his house. I think that would be good for our first real anniversary. Nothing too intense, but nice enough that we will remember it for a long time._ Naruto smiled to himself, pleased with the mental image of how the night would go. _And I think I know just what would make it even more special._

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"Something has been wrong with you lately." Itachi did not pose this as a question; he mentioned it nonchalantly over dinner on Thursday night. Sasuke had come to his brother's apartment once again after school and had been doing his homework up until it had been time to eat.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke answered, putting the bite he had been about to take into his mouth.

"Ever since I picked you up from that party and gave you those piercings, there has been something off about you." Itachi cocked his head at his younger brother and raised an eyebrow as if to challenge the accusation.

Sasuke did not attempt to disagree; he simply rolled his eyes and returned to his food.

"I've seen you more in these past couple months than I have probably in the last year. You barely speak, even to me, you seem more cold and distant that you usually are, your schoolwork hasn't been suffering at all because you spend almost all of your time either studying or doing homework. You're a teenager; shouldn't you be out getting into trouble or something to that affect?"

Sasuke shot his brother a cold glare over his glass of water as he brought it up to his lips. "There is nothing wrong, Itachi, nothing that needs to be talked about."

Itachi looked at him skeptically but let the subject drop after a few moments of looking at him knowingly. _I'll talk to Itachi about it eventually…or never…We'll see how things go. I haven't made up my mind yet._

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Sai pecked his boyfriend on the lips as they met up in the hallway after school. "Hey you." He said with a smirk as Naruto grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Hey, how has your day been?" Naruto asked as they began walking down the hall to the doors that would lead them out to the parking lot. The halls were emptying quickly as it was Friday and teenagers were dying to get out and start their weekend.

"It's been alright, much better now that I know I get to spend time with you." Sai sent him a wink and a flirty smile.

"About that, Sai, I don't think we can hang out tonight." Naruto looked over at his boyfriend with a look of sorry set on his face.

"Are you serious? Why not?" Sai whined as they exited the building and entered the parking lot. "This has been the routine for so long now, what could possibly have come up?"

"I have some family nearby that have been bugging me to get together since I moved here; finally I had to give in. So I'm going over there tonight." Naruto felt bad for lying but he wanted to make it a special night for both of them, he was sure Sai would forgive him later, after he found out the reason behind his fib.

"Yeah alright, I guess I'll just find something else to do." Sai replied with a pout on his face.

"I'm sorry, I really am, tomorrow we can hang out all day, I promise." Naruto gave his hand a squeeze. They had arrived at Naruto's car, Sai still sporting a sad pout and Naruto feeling guilty for having put it there.

"Well my parents are gone this weekend, so tomorrow why don't you come over to _my_ house?" He leaned in to give Naruto a brushing kiss, "I'll even show you my room." Sai whispered into his lips after the kiss. Sai took a blank sheet of paper from his backpack and a pen, and wrote down his address. He folded it up and slipped it into the back pocket of Naruto's jeans, taking just a second to linger.

"So then, I'll see you tomorrow?" Naruto questioned in a whisper, not trusting his voice to speak loud lest he give up on his plan completely.

"Sounds good to me, I look forward to it." Under the flirty exterior, Naruto could tell that Sai was still upset, he tried to hide it by hitting on Naruto, but he knew the truth underneath.

To make it up to his boyfriend, Naruto gave him a long, lingering kiss, even though there may have been nearly a hundred students walking by, he did not care, he wanted to show how much he cared for his boyfriend.

They exchanged goodbyes and as Naruto pulled out of the parking lot to begin his preparations, he watched his boyfriend in the rearview mirror begin to walk home.

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Sai kicked at a rock moodily as he walked across the parking lot._ I was really hoping to make tonight special. I actually remembered that it was our four-month anniversary and I was hoping to do something with him to celebrate. I was really looking forward to it. This is the first time that I have cared about someone enough to give a shit about something as stupid as an anniversary. I've never even been with someone this long, usually they only last a few weeks, maybe a month at the longest, but never four months. And never have I thought that I would want to stay with someone even longer. I thought he would be the kind of guy that would be all into this kind of lovey-dovey shit. But he doesn't even remember. He made plans on our anniversary and didn't even invite me to come along. He probably isn't as serious about me as I am about him…I mean I know he likes me and all but it seems like if he _really_ cared for me then we would be spending the night together. Maybe he doesn't want his family to see me, maybe he doesn't want them to know about me…If that wasn't the case then it seems like he could have asked me to come with him, so that we could be together…I was even going to ask him to stay with me tonight. I thought it would be nice since I _thought_ we were getting to be somewhat serious that we could take that step and actually stay the night._

"Hey Sai!" Sai recognized the yelling voice as Sakura's. He turned around to find where she was and found her off to his right, maybe twenty feet away from where he stood in the parking lot.

"Hi, Sakura, what's up?" Sai asked, trying to sound more cheerful as he walked over to meet her, the last thing he needed was for her to be concerned about him, although he knew his face would give him away no matter how hard he tried.

"Nothing much, just looking for something to do tonight, what about you?" She knitted her eyebrows together and cocked her head in concern. "You look upset about something."

"Well I had planned on doing something with Naruto, but he cancelled on me last minute, so I have nothing to do now." Sai shrugged his shoulders, as if the whole thing did not faze him, even though he was still deeply hurt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, that really sucks." Sakura put her hand on the top of his arm and gave it a light squeeze, her eyes showing sympathy. "Do you want to do something with me instead? I mean we're both free anyway."

"I guess so." A small smile began to creep onto the edges of his mouth. _Maybe tonight won't be all for nothing after all, maybe I can have a good time even without Naruto, and plus I'll see him tomorrow, and maybe he'll stay with me then. _"Do you want to come over to my house? My parents are gone for the weekend so we could watch movies or something."

"Sounds good to me, I don't have a car though." Sakura clasped her hands behind her back and swayed slightly back and forth.

"That's okay, I usually just walk home, it isn't that far, I promise." Sai set a small smirk on his lips and turned in the direction of his house. "Thanks for keeping me company, I was kind of bummed."

"No problem at all, what are friends for?" Sakura replied with a wink as she caught up with him and set a similar stride.

_Maybe tonight won't be a total loss after all._ A smirk set on Sai's lips as they left the parking lot. _Maybe he doesn't think we're that serious, but that's okay, I'm alright with not being completely serious._

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Naruto went back to his apartment and began to get ready for the night. He started by taking a shower to freshen up after a long day at school. Afterwards he picked out what he would wear for the night, he decided on a faded orange polo shirt that fit him comfortably and a pair of comfortable dark jeans paired with his usual converse. When he was sure his hair and outfit were perfect he crossed into his bedroom to ready an overnight bag, just in case he was able to stay the night._ Maybe tonight will be the night that Sai lets me stay with him. Maybe in the morning his face will be the first thing I see. I can only hope that tonight goes well. _

In his bag, Naruto placed the toiletries he would need, a pair of pajama pants, and a change of clothes for the next day, he would hate for the neighbors to see him wearing the same clothes he showed up in, though if it came down to that he could just borrow something from Sai.

Naruto fixed himself something to eat first, he was not sure how long the rest of his errands would take and did not want to risk Sai having already eaten dinner by the time he got over there. After he put his dishes in the sink it was about six in the evening, he grabbed his duffel bag from his bedroom, grabbed his keys and exited his apartment.

As Naruto was opening the door, he saw Sasuke walking down the stairs to the lobby. The raven nearly looked over at him, but almost seemed to think better of it and continued looking straight as he walked down the stairs. Naruto turned around, made a long ordeal about locking the door behind him, and waited until the sounds of footsteps disappeared before he headed down himself. His footsteps echoed in the empty stairwell around him, coming back to reverberate quietly in his ears in a way that made him feel surrounded.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke's car was gone from the parking lot as he walked over to his car on the other side of the lot. He shoved his duffel bag in the backseat. _I would put it in the front seat but I don't want to bring it in when I get there, just in case he doesn't want me to stay, I don't want to seem like I'm being needy or pushy. I'll just come get it if I need to._

The video rental place was closer to Naruto then the grocery store so he figured he would stop there first. He looked through all of the horror movies but none of them looked like they would be good enough to watch on their first anniversary, so he gave up on them. Nothing seemed to be entertaining enough, after searching the store for nearly an hour, he finally stumbled across something in the "Favorites" section, which seemed ironic, though interesting. After purchasing "Brokeback Mountain" for the night, he got back in his car and headed to the nearest grocery store.

The grocery store did not have much of a selection for flowers, so he settled with the best-looking bouquet of roses he could find. With the beautiful red flowers proudly bloomed in his hands he made his way over to the candy section and picked out a brightly packaged bag of gummies. Lastly, he picked out a heartfelt card, something really sentimental and meaningful with beautiful artwork bedecking the front and a gorgeous poem on the inside. Naruto made his purchases with a huge grin on his face and could not help but be a little nervous for Sai's reaction when he showed up.

By the time Naruto had found Sai's house, it was almost eight at night. The sky was just starting to get dark, the first couple of stars starting to peek out while the moon was beginning to rise.

The house was located on the end of the street, on the right side was another house, while on the other side there was an empty lot filled mostly with large trees and bushes. Naruto pulled up to Sai's house but instead of stopping, he pulled forward in front of the empty lot and parked there, so that Sai would not see his car right away.

Naruto took a moment to prepare himself, his heart was pounding in his chest, his breathing was shaky as he tried to take deep breaths to calm his nerves, and his hands were trembling as he clutched the wheel like he would fall if he did not. _Everything will be fine. This is your first anniversary. He will be so surprised. He is going to love this so much, you spent so much time to prepare for this, he won't be able to help but love it. There is no reason to be so nervous._ Naruto closed his eyes for a brief moment before he took the keys out of the ignition. _Everything will go fine. Everything will go fine. Everything will go fine._ He kept this going through his mind like a mantra.

Before gathering his items, Naruto pulled the card from the grocery bag and grabbed a pen from the center counsel. He only had one thing he wanted to add to the almost perfect card. Inside, beneath the beautifully scripted type, he wrote three little words; words that were so short but to him meant more than anything else did in the world. His hand shook ferociously as he tried to write as legibly as possible, in the end the words were a little difficult to read but he knew Sai would be able to see them. _I've never said this to anyone else before, and I'm glad he's my first._

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At about six in the evening Sasuke decided he needed to leave his apartment to keep control of his sanity. Since it was the weekend he did not want to spend his entire Friday night doing his homework, but he knew at the same time that he could not go out with anybody from school, for fear that there would be a repeat of the last time. There was a dark sweater on the floor by the door, he picked it up gently, dusted it off and threw it over his arm with a sigh. _Maybe I just need a walk to help clear my head._

As he walked out his door he did not even bother to grab his keys, he did not want to have to fuss with locking the door. He simply left all rational thought behind and just left. _Maybe what I need is a little irrationality, something that I normally would not do._

Sasuke walked down the stairs, his hands in his pockets and trying to stay away from his thoughts when the main source of his thoughts exited his own apartment as he was passing. Sasuke almost made the mistake to look at the blond, but before he could fully turn his head, he looked down and continued down the stairs.

He exited the building and immediately set his body in the direction of the sidewalk. _I don't want to drive anywhere, I just want to feel the pavement underneath my feet and not want to have to worry about parking or anything._

The air around him was still relatively warm from the day, so he did not need his sweater yet. He did not know where he was going, that was part of the beautiful mystery. _ I don't want to have a plan right now. I just want to go and see what happens. I want to be alone with my thoughts but not think at all. I don't want to worry about who sees me or what others might think. There is something beautiful about the night. It's so concealing, like I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not. The night hides all faults. I can see why so many animals are nocturnal; I can't wait for the night to come. The darkness will help to shield me._

He synchronized the sounds of his footsteps with his breathing, to help relax him as he wandered around the streets that were slowly beginning to empty. The children were retreating into their houses for dinner, while most of the cars on the road pulled into driveways and let out the working parents.

A light breeze forced Sasuke to put on his sweater, as the evening wore on he knew it would only grow colder.

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Naruto shut his car door quietly behind him, so as not to tip off his boyfriend that he had a visitor. He tucked the card into the top of the roses and held them in his right hand, slipped the movie under the same arm, and held onto the candy in his left hand. As he walked up the sidewalk to the house Naruto could not help but be excited, he was still nervous and shaking all over, but he was happy, because this was for the most important person to him.

The sun began to set behind him, making the sky turn dark but beautiful as he walked. As the minutes passed, the moon shone brighter and the stars started to pop into the darkness one by one, each one giving off just a small hint of light in the darkening surroundings.

The house appeared to be mostly dark as he approached it; the only light seemed to be the flicker of what was probably the TV screen in the living room. Naruto walked up the steps of the porch being careful not to make any noise so he would not tip off Sai inside. Luckily, the porch seemed to be relatively new so it was not hard to be silent as he made it to the front door. He stood in front of the beautiful white wood door and tried to gather his thoughts to stop the shaking in all of his limps. He remembered that Sai never locked the door, so he should be able to just walk right in.

_What if Sai isn't home? What if he went out somewhere and won't be back tonight? Or what if his parents came home early and I get him in trouble by coming here? Or what if they come home while I'm here? I should have thought this through better, I could really get him into trouble. What was I thinking? Well I can't exactly leave now, I can't just leave, I have to go through with it. It's now or never._

Gathering all his courage and after taking a deep breath through his nose, Naruto grabbed the doorknob in his left hand with the candy still in it and turned it, swinging the door open into Sai's house. Naruto could not help the smile that came across his face as he took his first step into Sai's house, no matter how nervous he was he could not deny the fact that he was also both happy and excited for the night to come.

The door opened right into the living room where Naruto could see the faint flicker of the TV that illuminated the couch about ten feet away. However, if the TV had been off Naruto may have been able to assume that the house was empty, but this was most definitely not the case, the house was not empty. Sai was not alone.

On the couch with his boyfriend was Sakura, and they were not simply watching TV. The couch was a tangle of limbs, he was unsure of which ones belonged to whom in the mostly dark room. Sai was crouched over Sakura; his shirt lay in the corner of the room, his pale chest seeming to glow in the slight light. Sakura currently had her hands fumbling over the front of Sai's pants, all of her clothes accept for her undergarments were discarded, leaving her to be almost fully revealed to the boy above her. They seemed glued together at the lips, unable to separate, even for breaths. They were completely oblivious to the door opening, perhaps from the fact that it was almost equally dark both inside and outside, or maybe because they were too wrapped up in their activities to care what was going on around them. If Naruto had to bet, he would choose the latter.

Naruto felt a pain in his heart that radiated to the tips of his toes. Tears stung behind his eyes but he refused to cry at that moment. The smile that had previously lit up his face turned down into a scowl of hatred at the act that was happening right in front of his eyes. He had never felt so betrayed in his life; it felt as though poison was pulsing through his veins instead of blood. It hurt to suck in every staggered breath that ripped through his lungs.

"I can't believe you." Naruto managed to speak from between the waves of pain that seemed to emit from his very brain. He threw the bouquet of flowers into the room, just short of the couch, and the movie fell to his feet as he moved his arm. The roses flew from the cellophane cone and scattered on the floor between Naruto and his cheating boyfriend, the card went the farthest, ending up on its own just inches from the front of the couch. He tossed the candy amongst the already made mess and turned from the pair that was just taking notice to their surroundings.

A look of pure horror crossed Sai's face as he jumped up from Sakura and got to his feet amidst the dispersed tokens of love. "Oh shit, Naruto….Hey."

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_**Author's Note:**_

Are we surprised that Sai cheated? Not really, but poor Naruto being on the ass end of that. Are we happy about Sai cheating? Or do we want to punch him straight in the face? Let me know guys! I would love to get your artistic interpretation of this by means of fanart!

Send me a review of what you thought of this chapter, I am always interested in what you beautiful people have to say!

Also you can follow me on Twitter at ** EricaLorena93** and find out what goes on in my sometimes exciting life! I should be the only one to pop up so you should follow me and see what's on my mind!

Love you all as always!

xxx sasukelover154


	11. Chapter 11 Revelations

**Exploring the Darkness** by _sasukelover154_

Hello my lovelies! Thank you all for being so patient with me and reading my sometimes not so good drabble! As always before you get to reading I would just like to inform you that I _am_ in fact on Twitter and if you would like to know about all the sometimes exciting things that I do in my daily life then you can follow me ** EricaLorena93**. And if anyone would like to send me some fanart then I would not be opposed!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, unfortunately.

**Warning:** Some violence, swearing, but not that bad (Although not going to lie, I cried a bit writing it).

Without further ado, I give you the latest chapter! ENJOY AND REVIEW PLEAESE!

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Naruto turned on his heel, feeling the bile rising in his throat at the thought of what could have been happening had he walked in a few minutes later. There was acid pounding through his veins; it seemed to heat up his whole body, burning from the top of his head to the very tips of each toe. He heard Sai shout his name as he reached the steps of the porch but he ignored it, he did not want to see Sai's face right now. The voice was desperate, and persistent, and seemed to follow just behind him as he tried to escape.

"Naruto, come back, I promise you, it was not what it looked like!" Sai's voice was just a few feet away now. Naruto's fury raised even higher at the statement his now _ex-boyfriend _had just made. It was for this reason he spun back around, anger in his eyes that had never before been exposed but was now at full flame.

"'_Not what it looked like?_' Please tell me how that was '_not what it looked like_'! Could you possibly be more _cliché_, Sai? Can't you try to come up with something, _anything_, that is better than '_it's not what it looked like'_?" Naruto was just a couple feet away from Sai, all but shouting into his face, not taking notice to the intimidating fact that Sai was a few inches taller than he was. He could see into the obsidian pools in front of them; no emotion could show from such a dark color, but the eyebrows above rose in together slightly, as if trying to gain pity. Naruto took no notice to the attempt at receiving compassion. "She was undoing your pants, she was in her underwear, and you guys looked as if you were trying to inhale each other's faces! There is nothing you could say that would explain why you would be doing that." The tears began to well up again but he refused to cry. _Not in front of Sai, I don't want to give him that satisfaction_. "Don't even try to make excuses, Sai." Sai opened his mouth to respond, the normally happy face was now downcast, looking at the wooden porch, and his skin seemed to be paler than he ever was before. "What, was she drowning in a pool that just magically seemed to spring up on your couch? And she was cold so she needed to take off her wet clothes and get naked while you gave her mouth to mouth?" He was making dramatic gestures with his arms, nearly hitting Sai in the face who did not even try to back away from them. Naruto stopped for a moment, his breathing coming in small gasps from his mixture of anger, half-shouting, and efforts to control his tears from spilling over.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sai whispered brokenly in the small break that Naruto took to catch his breath. Naruto's hands were shaking at his sides, he quickly balled them into fists as he shut his eyes and bit at his bottom lip in anger.

"You're _sorry_?" Naruto set off again, his energy completely renewed. "You're sorry that you cheated on me, your _boyfriend_ with a _girl_? Someone who is our _friend_? You have the nerve to apologize for that? Or are you just sorry you got caught?" There was a brief pause, not even long enough for Naruto to take a breath before he was off again. "I thought you were supposed to be gay; that means you like _guys_. That does not mean that you get to date me and then fuck another _girl_ my back! Are you even gay? Or does this happen all the time? Do you just fuck whatever comes close to you and care about a gender later?" He held up a hand, halting any response Sai was about to give. "Save it, I actually really don't want to know. I might throw up if I do."

"I'm so sorry, Naruto, it just kind of happened." Sai finally looking up and meeting Naruto's eyes, he shoved his hand in his pockets and gave a little shrug, as if trying to play it off as not such a big deal.

That drove Naruto over the edge. As a tear finally slid over his lashes and down his cheek, he wound back his arm and slapped Sai across his cheek, not trying to hold back, but trying to inflict even a fraction of the pain that this boy had caused him. He could almost hear the sound of his heart breaking as his tanned hand connected with the pale skin of Sai's cheek.

"Don't even try to give me that bullshit. You knew what was going on the entire time. You could have stopped it if you had tried. I don't want to hear any more from you. We're over, Sai, I hope she was worth it because I sure as hell know that I deserve better than this." Naruto turned around and began his walk back to his car, letting a few more tears pass over his cheeks as he took the stairs slowly so he would not trip in his shaky state. When he reached the bottom, he looked back for just a moment, letting his pain show in his eyes. "Just so you know, I was coming over to surprise you on what would have been our four month anniversary, I was trying to make it special for you. You've made this a _very_ special experience. And I hope when you read the card, that you'll realize just how much you killed me by doing this." He turned back around, no goodbye, no smiles; he gave nothing else to the boy who stole nearly everything from him.

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Sasuke ended up wandering back to the park where he had been not so long ago. It was not quite yet dark; the sun was just barely clinging to the horizon as the bright colors quickly faded to the darker ones that would be replacing them. All the children in the park were slowly beginning to disappear, their parents calling them from the back doors of their houses to come inside for the night.

In the diminishing light, Sasuke saw a small copse of trees just maybe twenty feet from the back of the playground. The light from the lamppost on the sidewalk had been unable to illuminate it when he had been there previously.

The playground emptied of its last kid as the last trace of sweet colors finally gave way to the thickening darkness. Sasuke stepped off the sidewalk and walked over to where one of the swings was still swaying slightly with the release of previous weight. The soft crunch of gravel surrounding each piece of equipment seemed to soothe his ever-changing emotions. He passed by all of the equipment, heading straight for the swing. He approached the swing slowly, not like those who would run to beat the other children. Sasuke grabbed the chain between his fingers, bringing the swing to a stop prematurely. Tonight was not a night for swinging, but it felt oddly eerie to let the swing continue until it stopped on its own.

While the stars began to wink into existence, Sasuke left the playground, in exchange for the trees that lay just beyond. Tonight he did not want to play; he wanted to explore what lay at his feet. There was something about the feeling of this night, it made him want to explore within himself. He never would have admitted it during the day, but he wanted to explore the vision that haunted him.

The start of trees was not that much farther passed the park, maybe just more than twenty feet away. Once he passed everything, the shabby beginning of the trees lay at the tips of his toes. Before any actual trees began, there was maybe ten feet of shrub, a few bushes, trees smaller than himself, and densely packed leaves coating the floor. Only the occasionally snapping of a twig would give away his presence as he crept forward to the first _real_ tree in the copse.

The first real tree appeared strong. It had a large trunk that he was unable to put his arms around and touch hands. The first branch was within arm's reach and the one almost directly above that looked wide enough for him sit on and be comfortable.

He grabbed the lowest branch in his hands and tested it with his full weight. The branch bowed slightly but thankfully did not break. By swinging his legs up onto the branch and heaving his torso, he was able to pull himself onto the branch. He adjusted into a sitting position, straddling the branch between his legs. After taking a moment to recover, he scooted over near the trunk and placed a hand on it to steady himself while he got to his feet. When he was standing and facing right, the larger sitting branch was at about chest height right in front of him. He half jumped, to get his torso onto the branch, and swung his legs up. _At least if I fall there won't be very far to go._ With the branch now between his legs, he leaned back against the trunk and stretched his legs out in front of him.

The view, even from his just slightly elevated position of maybe fifteen feet above the ground, the view was better than any other before. From his seat he could still see the playground, and the sidewalk that had brought him there, all illuminated by the streetlight just behind it. He was sure that if anybody took a look from the playground, that he would be invisible.

Above him, through the gaps in the leaves, he could see the whole universe. He felt secluded, alone with his thoughts, where he could be more like himself than ever before. The moon was beautiful against the dense darkness that encompassed it, the light shed just enough so that there was no reason to be afraid when exploring. The moon was not full, but it was that stage where it was so close that it was hard to tell.

Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting the cool night air cleanse his lungs and mind so that he might be able to think clearly.

For some reason the first thing that came to his mind was the idea of two of his teachers, Kakashi and Iruka, being together. _Everybody knows their story. They don't even try to hide it. They met in college, they had a class together and they needed someone to study with after class. After they had been studying for a while, they noticed they had started to feel things. They started to hang out, outside of class and they knew there was something between them. They started dating and without meaning to, they got positions teaching at the same high school. They have never tried to deny their relationship; they have always been open and honest to anyone who asks. They aren't overly touchy at work, for obvious reasons, but if you see them at the store or at the movies, you would see them holding hands or occasionally kissing. They were a normal couple, never ashamed. _

Sasuke thought about the massive amount of trust they must have had for each other to be together for as long as they had been. _I wonder how they know they are soul mates…_ At this thought, a certain image came into his mind's eye.

_The blonde hair cropped short, styled into natural spikes, and complimented the beautiful face it surrounded. Despite the darkness, the perfectly tanned skin shone brilliantly and slightly flushed. The big cerulean eyes seemed to sparkle in a hazy lust filled stare that Sasuke could not help but suddenly return. Little huffs of breath caused the flat chest to rise and fall rapidly with the recent kissing epidemic. Well-muscled thighs sat on top of Sasuke's ships as the blonde beauty straddled him, both clad in nothing but a pair of dark jeans. The hands that ghosted over his chest, were warm and welcoming, they made a path of heat as they traced across his skin. Sasuke could feel his lips pull up slightly at the corners as he looked up into those lovely pools of deep blue. The slightly darker pink lips curved as well, a light blush dusting across the cheeks. Suddenly those lips appeared on his and all he could think about was the soft touch of the flesh. The pair fit together perfectly, no gaps between their flawless lips. The kiss was warm and affectionate, soft with just enough heat to fuel them further. Immaculately tanned fingers wound their way into Sasuke's hair in the heat of their passion. All Sasuke could do was move his lips in unison to those above him, his hands reached up to grasp the bare shoulders, keeping the body close to him. He never wanted this moment to end, it was the best kiss he had ever received, even if it was a dream, he was enjoying it. Slowly the other's hands descended from his hair, brushing over Sasuke's chest and slightly muscled abs, stopping for a brief moment to circle his belly button. Their lips separated, barely more than an inch between them, the blonde giggled gently, just barely a notch over the sound of breathing._ _A tanned finger began tracing the lines created by his hipbones, causing a shiver to run up his spine._

He knew after this that the illusion ended, and that he was back to the world where he had been kissing Ino; and this thought more than slightly depressed him. He wished he could go back to the moment and kiss those lips one more time, to feel the heat that rose from them and touch the tanned skin that loomed over him in the darkness. He knew that it had never been real, just a drunken vision that appeared most likely because he had been all but forced into making out with a blonde and his subconscious had tried to come up with something more pleasurable.

_There is no way around it, deep down I always knew that I imagined kissing Naruto, and I liked it. _That spikey blonde hair, the clear, bright blue eyes that shone in the dark, the beautifully tanned chest as it heaved hushed breaths against his lips, the warm, gentle touch of fingers as they played in his hair and on his skin. _There is no other explanation. I have to admit it. I like Naruto._

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Naruto was able to get into his car before the _real_ tears hit. Before, it was simply a few because he was trying his hardest to hold them back, he did not want to give Sai the satisfaction of knowing he had hurt him; but now it was as if a river were flowing from his eyes. When he opened his door and sat down, he could not bear to turn on the car and drive away, mainly for the fear that his compromised vision would make him crash before he got to the end of the street. He gripped the wheel tightly in his hands, resting his forehead against it while his tears made small spots along the thighs of his jeans.

"I thought tonight was going to be perfect. I thought that we might actually take our relationship somewhere. How stupid could I have been?" He banged his head against the wheel for a moment before everything became more clear, which only made his tears flow harder and colder against his hot and flushed face. "Of course he was cheating. He always wanted to come over to my place, never his, and he always had to go home, he could never stay over, and he never tried to get close to me. He was always so vague about his plans. He was always so distant. He never wanted to talk emotions only wanted what was physical; he never offered to call me or anything. Even now, I don't know his phone number. It all makes perfect sense to me now. I'm a fucking idiot."

He played the scene in his head repeatedly. It made his stomach churn to think about Sakura's hands all over the pale skin that he used to caress when he would kiss Sai. It seemed to make his brain pound against his skull to think about her hands fumbling on his pants while he kissed her deeply. He raised his head and looked out at the scenery around him, trying to clear his mind enough so that he would be able to drive and not be a danger._ She didn't even say anything to me. She didn't even apologize for what she did. I thought we were friends. She had always seemed so nice and helpful. So much for friends._

After taking several deep breaths, in through his nose and out through his mouth, he was able to stem the flow of tears and dry his face on the collar of his shirt. When he was able to see clearly, he dug his keys from his pocket and jammed them in the ignition. As he was turning around to check for traffic behind him, he saw his duffel bag in the back seat. He nearly began crying again, but he refused to now. _You need to drive. Just get out of here and you can cry all you want._ He chanted this to himself while he pulled away from the curb and onto the road.

He was able to make it back to his apartment parking lot without turning into a sobbing mess again. He parked in his usual spot and turned his car off. After resting his head in his hands for a brief moment, he looked at his surroundings. He could see Sasuke's car on the other side of the lot, as it had been for the last few months now. _Great, he must be home. I hope I don't run into him, that asshole is the last thing I need right now. I can just hear him taunting me now. Teasing me for my dickhead of a boyfriend that turned out to be shit. That is definitely the last thing that would be welcome right now. Maybe right now, what I need is a walk. Just to get away from everything and clear my head._

Naruto yanked his keys from the ignition and stepped out of his car. Right now he did not feel like going in his apartment, where he had been with Sai so many times, he needed to be outside and moving. He shoved his keys in his pocket and took off down the street. The cool air helped to relieve his flushed skin, and calm down his heated emotions. The air was clean in his lungs; he did not even mind that he had forgotten to bring a sweater along with him.

The pavement at his feet was empty, no one around to disturb him, even though it was still relatively early in the night for the weekend. The moon had come out early, lighting his way despite the fact that he was not paying attention to where he headed. He let his feet guide his journey, he did not mind not knowing where his destination was, he just wanted to get away.

Naruto passed briefly under the streetlight, only then taking into account where he was now. His feet had unknowingly led him to the playground; he had not been back there since he had been there the first time, when he mistakenly ran into Sasuke. All of the play equipment was empty, no children burdening the iron skeletons, even though it was technically the weekend. There was an odd serenity to the vacant play equipment, even though he was completely alone he was at peace, away from the prying eyes of the world.

He approached the swings and held a chain delicately in his hand. A small, sad smile crept onto his lips. _I had planned to take Sai here before it got too cold. I was hoping that we could push each other on the swings, like other couples do, share a long kiss after one of us jumped off and landed too hard in the small gravel._

Fresh tears broke through the gate with the pain of the thought. _Looks like none of that will ever happen._ A small gust of wind chilled the tears on his cheek, but that could not stop more from flowing.

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Sasuke was broken out of his revelation by the sudden appearance of a familiar figure. The shadowy figure passed underneath the streetlight and for a brief moment Sasuke could see the defining features. The blonde hair shone in the pale gold light, even in the darkness, he could see the beautiful deep blue eyes, and he was wearing dark jeans and a nice orange polo shirt. Naruto left the light in exchange for walking forward onto the playground. The moonlight was so bright that Sasuke did not have that much trouble seeing Naruto as he made his way to the swing set.

It seemed like a long time before he made it to the swing set. His movements were almost angelic, in the sense that no sound seemed to rise from the gravel as it moved under his feet. There was a brief moment where Naruto held the swing chain delicately between his fingers.

Even in the shadow of his slightly bowed head, Sasuke could see the tear that dripped from Naruto's cheek. At the sight of the blonde's tears, there was a small part of his heart that broke._ If there was any doubt before, then it's gone now. Seeing him cry like this is something what torture must be like. I like Naruto, I can't deny it now._

When a soft sob broke over the previous silence, Sasuke knew he could no longer stay away. Naruto collapsed onto the seat of the swing and let his head fall into his hands, letting his sobs free.

The sound of Naruto's sobs covered the hastened noise of Sasuke's climbing down the tree. It did not take long for Sasuke to scramble down and land back on the ground. Thankfully, Naruto's back was to him, so there was little chance of him noticing.

_What am I doing? Why am I approaching him? Last time I checked I was not supposed to give him attention…but…he is hurting…obviously badly…I can't just let him be alone…I want to be his friend, help him out… I've been so shitty to him lately, I wouldn't be surprised if he really hated me…_

When his feet hit the ground he was careful not to make too much noise, he did not want to frighten the blonde off before reached him.

The moonlight was enough to guide him out of the brush until he reached the soft grass where the playground began. Naruto still sat on a swing, sobbing into his hands. The choked sounds echoed in the darkness around them.

Now that he was only a dozen feet away behind the blonde, just before the gravel around the swing set began, he felt slightly silly about his actions. _If I approach him like this, he is going to think I am such a freak. I can't just sneak up behind him and ask him to be friends, that's just creepy and would most likely just scare the shit out of him. I have to do this right; it could make all the difference._

Sasuke circled around to face Naruto, walking on the grass, and cleared his throat quietly, trying to call attention to himself. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked tentatively. Naruto's breathing hitched and he looked up suddenly.

The blonde's eyes were red and swollen from crying. His cheeks were wet and flushed against the unusually pale skin of his face. He sniffed pathetically, trying to regain some of his composure. Naruto had not even seemed frightened by his presence, just slightly surprised. He wiped at his face, while taking deep breaths, trying to calm down enough to speak.

"Naruto?" Sasuke repeated quietly, taking a few step forward, walking on the gravel with care. "Are you alright? You look like you've been through hell." His eyebrows raised in concern.

"That's probably pretty accurate seeing as I just found out my boyfriend is cheating on me with a girl." A small, sarcastic laugh left his lips before another few tears slid down his cheeks.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in shock. _I always thought Sai was an asshole, but I thought he would at least be the one to commit when he finally got what he wanted. I can't believe he would do something like that. He is a complete idiot, Naruto was really into him, they were practically inseparable, I should know because it took my best effort to avoid them._

"Are you serious?" Sasuke knew it was cliché and an unintelligent thing to say, but it was all he could manage in his shocked state.

"Yeah, I just caught him with Sakura, not even an hour ago, about to fuck her." Naruto ran a hand through his hair and took a long, shaky, breath.

Sasuke took a seat, unable to stand any longer. "Do you want to talk about it?" Sasuke asked after a quiet moment. "Just vent and let it out?"

Naruto looked at him skeptically. "We haven't talked in months." He furrowed his blonde eyebrows and narrowed his lovely blue eyes. "Actually, you've seemed to be avoiding me for months. Now you suddenly want to be nice?"

"I'm working on my attitude." Sasuke smirked slightly at the light joke, now was definitely not the time to confess his crush on the blonde. "Tell me about it, I can a good friend when I want to be."

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Naruto took a brief moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. _This is somewhat weird; Sasuke just pops up out of nowhere and wants to listen to me babble about my shitty love life? I haven't heard from or seen him in months; I've been invisible to him for a while now…Why does he all of a sudden care about me? _No matter what the answer was, he needed a friend right now, he needed someone to listen and comfort him.

"It at all started when I first came here. He pretty much swept me off my feet." With a sad smile, he told his story to Sasuke. He started with the night Sai treated him to the movies, and how he had first kissed him. He kept his head down while he explained his deepening feelings for Sai, wanting to be with him, never feeling like that before, his realization to being gay, well at the very least for Sai. It was hard for him to hold back the tears as he talked about the last couple of months of their relationship; how Sai always came over and made excuses, only seemed to want something physical. When he came to explain about earlier in the night, he could not help but cry. He talked in detail about the extent to which he went into making plans for their anniversary, and when he back to finding Sai and Sakura on his couch, he broke out into sobs once more.

"The horribly pathetic part of the whole thing is that I told him I love him. In the card I put with his flowers, I wrote 'I love you'. And I do! I do love him! I hate him for what he did to me, but I still love him, and all I want is to just go back to him." Naruto could feel himself becoming hysterical, his words broke out over his small hiccups caused by his crying and he could feel the shivers start up his spine as the wind chilled him._ Why didn't I grab a sweater? I'm freezing._

Naruto stood up, he could not contain himself to the swing anymore, and he needed to get up and walk around, warm up his limbs. He paced in front of Sasuke, his hands on his elbows rubbing his arms. His tears would not stop falling; they made wet patches on the gravel at his feet.

"I know you probably think I am the stupidest person, I mean I just caught my boyfriend, my _gay_ boyfriend, cheating on me with a _girl_, a girl who was my first friend here, and I want him back!" Naruto flung his arms out in a crazy gesture. "It's hard for me to explain, but I have never felt this way about anyone before, since the beginning he has made me feel different, better than anyone else has before." He put a hand up to his forehead, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. He was beginning to sound crazy and if he did not get a hold of himself soon, Sasuke would surely leave or call someone to take him away. He paused for a moment in his pacing, and turned to face Sasuke. "Please tell me I'm crazy."

Sasuke stood up from his swing and walked the few steps forward to stand in front of Naruto. He put his hands on Naruto's shoulders, steadying him. Naruto looked up into his dark eyes and a shiver ran up his spine again, the cold returning from his previous heated expressing.

"I don't think you're crazy." Sasuke said firmly. "I just think you are a little bit confused. The break up is still so fresh and all of your emotions are all over the place, that's not your fault." His eyebrows lowered over his dark eyes, a perfect look of concern and understanding. "I think you need distance from the relationship, distance from those feelings."

"But Sasuke, I love him…" Naruto sniffed pathetically, completely aware of how immature and childish he sounded. He wiped the tears off his cheeks; he wanted to seem at least partly in charge of his emotions. Another shiver took him over at that point, his teeth chattered faintly in the cold wind.

Sasuke's hands left his shoulders for a brief moment to take his sweater off. He carefully placed it around Naruto's shoulders, letting his hands linger to hold onto him. Sasuke was careful to look him in the eyes. "The only problem with that Naruto is that he doesn't deserve you. You can do so much better than some asshole who doesn't appreciate how great you are. Don't go back to him, he's just going to betray you again. You deserve better than that." He whispered it into the small space between them; he talked so quietly that Naruto needed to lean in slightly to hear him properly. Sasuke was already very close to Naruto, he hands still gently gripped his shoulders over the sweater. They were maybe a couple of feet apart; the only sound that of their mingled breathing.

It was a sudden moment when Sasuke bent forward and gently put their lips together. It was never like when Sai did it, forceful and commanding, it was gentle and lingering. Sasuke's hands caressed his shoulders lightly while Naruto could not help but hold onto his waist delicately. He was hesitant to return the kiss at first, but this was the first time someone had shown him compassion in a long time.

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_**Author's Note:**_

So we have been on a roller coaster haven't we? What are you guys thinking at this point? Liking Sasuke and Naruto? Want him to go back to Sai? Want the whole story to just go in the trash? Let me know in a review or private message please!

Again you can always send me fanart, I love seeing it! And you can follow me on Twitter ** EricaLorena93**.

Also, I want you guys to be the first to know, I will be starting ANOTHER new story, Friends with Benefits (nudge nudge wink wink, hint the title means something) shortly, I got the idea a few days ago and have been working on it ever since, so as soon as I get it started I will post it for all the world to see!

Thank you for all of your amazing support, I love you guys!


	12. Chapter 12 Thoughts

**Exploring the Darkness** by_ EricaLorena_

Hello my sweet angels! I know this took a while to update and I am really sorry about that, I got caught up with my other stories, Love and Music and Friends with Benefits. I hope you guys can forgive me! I actually wrote this in a few days, so that should make up for it…I forced myself to get it done so that you guys could read it now rather than a few months from now when I would have gotten the energy to do it…Anyway! Enough of my excuses!

As I am sure you guys have noticed, I changed my name from _sasukelover154 _to _EricaLorena_. I'm sorry for any confusion that this causes, it was hard to do because I had that name for like 4 years…but this is typically my name on websites, so it's just easier this way. You guys can follow me on Twitter at ** EricaLorena93** and see all my fantastic adventures! If you happen to follow me, you should tweet me so that I can know who you are! I would love to know what you guys think about this through either reviews or tweets, remember guys: reviews make me update faster! Also, if you guys want to make me fanart, I would not object!

I think I've babbled enough for right now, please enjoy and let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, unfortunately.

**Warning:** Over all nothing too bad, some swearing, kissing, and general heartbreak.

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Sasuke gently held onto Naruto's tanned and scarred cheeks as he continued delicately kissing those sweet lips against his. The feeling of Naruto's hands gripping his waist so tightly was deliciously enticing.The cold air seemed like a distant worry, now that they were nearly sharing the same space while Sasuke stood as close as he could to the smaller blonde. Even though he had given his sweater to Naruto, and wearing nothing but his t-shirt, he was not the least bit cold. The feeling of this boy in his arms was more than enough to keep him warm.

Their kiss was unlike any other kiss he had shared with another person. Ino's kisses had been rough, demanding, and thoroughly unpleasant, for more reasons than them simply being drunk. The kisses he and Naruto had shared in his drunken dream were completely different. Those caresses had been passionate, electrifying, and tremendously heated. What he was sharing with Naruto in that moment was on the other end of the spectrum from both of these. The little kisses he was sharing with Naruto were sweet, beautifully gentle, and feathery light. The way he was pecking the blonde's pink lips was as if he was afraid of the other breaking beneath his fingertips if he was too rough with him.

_How could Sai stand kissing any other lips but these, this is pure heaven. I don't want to stop kissing him. This is so much better than the drunken vision I had of him so long ago. His body is so warm, even though it's cold outside, his skin in so soft in my hands. I could stay like this forever, if he would allow it. I want to kiss away all his heartache, until all he is left with is the sweet feeling of my rapidly growing adoration. I can't remember a time when I was so happy. This beautiful blonde has been all I thought about for so long now, and now…I'm finally feeling what it's like to kiss him. With his sweet lips against mine, nothing could possibly make me happier in this moment._

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Naruto's mind was spinning in dizzying pirouettes as Sasuke gently touched his tear and scar marred cheeks with his chilly fingertips. The cold, pale fingers were in sharp contrast to the warm kiss between them, helping Naruto to keep his grip on reality. His fingers dug into the curve of Sasuke's waist harshly, he was holding on with such fervor that he was sure he would leave bruises on Sasuke's thin, pale waist. He could not tolerate to release the raven, lest he halt showing the heartbroken teen such tender affection. With Sasuke's hands touching him, he felt as if maybe there was hope for the reconstruction of his broken heart. However, at the moment his heart still ached and bled freely with the freshly inflicted wound Sai had dealt him. Naruto feared the wound would never close. Sasuke's kisses helped to cover up the hole left in his heart, but he knew that underneath it all, his heart was still breaking into millions of shattered pieces; Sai still imprinted on his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

_It feels so wrong to be even minutely enjoying Sasuke's kiss. Just hours ago, Sai and I broke up after four months of dating and weeks longer of being together… However, right now, his compassion is the only thing stopping me from collapsing from my mountains of self-pity. Even if this is completely out of the blue, and out of character, it feels so good to be cared for by someone._

Their kiss was sweet; their lips barely moved, simply reveling in the connection between them. Naruto's mind went back to how Sai would kiss him. Sai had always been the domineering type, always grabbing him roughly, leaving marks all over his skin, and generally leaving Naruto in a writhing mess. When he kissed Sai, it was pure intensity, animalistic want, and physical need. These soft, feathery kisses were a completely new territory. There was a tenderness to them that Naruto would have never thought attainable by the raven in front of him.

_I still don't fully understand what is going on. We haven't talked in months…even the last time we talked, it wasn't exactly the most friendly of conversations. But this kiss feels so good…Sai was always so commanding, I usually didn't have an option, when we were together it was established that we would make out for most, if not all, of the time. I've never been kissed so tenderly before. This isn't even making out, he just keeps pecking my lips softly. His gentle kisses are almost suffocating…he isn't even trying to hide that he cares for me…even if it might only be a little bit…_

_Why didn't Sai ever kiss me like this? Was I just a hot piece of ass to him? I know I shouldn't…but I miss him…I miss his kisses, at least when he kissed me it was some sign that he wanted me in his life, at least for that moment. I wish it could have been this way between us…This is how I had always wanted it to be with him. I just wanted to know that he cared for me, that I was more to him than just another guy. I wanted to know he didn't just want to get in my pants, but that he thought of me as important to him…_ The tears that sprung to his eyes again were unstoppable. The tears rushed hot down his cheeks as Sasuke tried his best to brush them away, but he simply could not keep up with the streams. It took all his strength not to gasp with his sobs as Sasuke continued to stroke their lips together affectionately.

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The need for air slowly became apparent and Sasuke reluctantly pulled away from the blonde. He delicately brushed the tears away from Naruto's cheeks with his thumbs, feeling as if his heart was breaking as each new tear sprung to the surface. _How can someone live with themselves knowing they caused someone this much pain. Sai deserves to go to hell for causing this beautiful angel this pain._ The tears eventually slowed but a smile did not grace the blonde's lips. He no longer sobbed hysterically, but there was no hint of a smile. Sasuke looked down to the ground, suddenly becoming slightly ashamed of his actions.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sasuke ran a hand through his midnight hair. "That was out of line, I shouldn't have done that. It was inappropriate given the current situation."

"No…I'm glad you did." Naruto said slowly, putting his hands in his pockets. "I just don't understand what's going on right now." The hitch in his voice caused Sasuke to look back up. In his bright cerulean eyes contained the shiny appearance of tears. A single tear leaked through the corner of his eye, leaving a small, shiny streak down the tan skin of his cheek.

With a wrenching heart, Sasuke once again reached out and gently brushed the evidence of the tear away. _All I've done is confuse him more. Good going, Sasuke. So much for making him feel better. But I just couldn't hold back any longer… I know how strange this is, but ever since I had that first vision of him, I haven't been able to get him out of my head. No matter how hard I try, he's there. I think…I might have been jealous of Sai…Maybe that's why I couldn't stand the sight of the bastard. How could he just throw Naruto away as if he was nothing?_

"I'm sorry…I didn't meant to make things harder for you." Sasuke sighed quietly. He walked back the few steps to the swing set and collapsed into the seat heavily. Naruto waited a moment but hesitantly joined him.

"I just…I already have so much on my mind…" The blonde kicked at the gravel below his feet, causing the noise to echo through the quiet air between them.

"I got carried away…" Sasuke began to explain himself quietly, unable to look over at Naruto for the fear that he would lose the little confidence he had gained with the kiss. "I just wanted to show you that not every guy is an asshole…even though I acted like it for a long time…I didn't want to see you upset anymore…I wanted to see that smile on your face." Sasuke could not stop the words as they tumbled from his lips.

_What was I expecting? That he was going to be ecstatic and forget all about Sai? He just had his heart shattered by, probably, the only person he has ever loved; of course he is going to be messed up. I'm an idiot. Of course my kissing him was not going to help anything. How fucking stupid can I be? Now I've just given him more to think about. He's already a mess, how dare I screw him up more…Good going, Sasuke, way to fuck something up by trying to help._

"I have a lot to think about, Sasuke. I'm sorry." Naruto sniffed delicately but Sasuke did not want to look over at him. The last thing he wanted to see was the precious blonde in tears again.

"I'm still here to talk, if you want to that is. I don't mind." Sasuke did not want to go home like this. _I can't just go home after doing this to him, I have to make sure that he is going to be okay..._

"I just…I don't understand why you did this." Naruto said quietly after a few moments of sitting in silence. "Can you tell me?"

"I haven't stopped thinking about you for months now. If I'm being completely honest with myself, I would have to say that you have been on my mind since we first met in the lobby." Sasuke began quietly, running a hand through his hair. "I hated seeing you with him, and I couldn't understand why…that is, until very recently. I've been jealous of him for a while now. I tried to avoid you guys, but it was no use, you were still always on my mind, no matter how hard I tried." Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, needing to see his reaction or else he thought he would go crazy.

The blonde's azure eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape in shock. Sasuke was unsure of how to gauge this reaction. Minutes passed before either could speak.

"I know I'm an asshole…" Sasuke started again when the blonde did not make any response. "I know I can be, and have been, really horrible to you since you got here but…I want to fix that. I want to try and make it up to you…" Sasuke could feel himself becoming desperate in his words. He felt the need to explain his feelings, _needing _the other boy to understand.

_Now that I've come so far to admit all this to him, I would hate to be rejected. I know that I'm an asshole in general and that he has every right to hate me…but I can feel in my heart that I won't forgive myself if I don't try to make him understand where I'm coming from._

"Why are you bringing all of this up so suddenly?" Naruto asked with his blonde brows pulled together in contemplation.

"Because I couldn't stand to keep it inside any longer…The opportunity presented itself to let you know how I feel…and I decided to take it." Sasuke shoved the bangs from his eyes and let out a long breath that he had not realized he was holding.

"And what do you want from me…?" Naruto did not ask the question rudely or even harshly. His voice sounded exhausted, as if all of his emotions had drained from his body. The tears in his eyes disappeared, though his eyes remained shiny.

"I don't expect anything from you, Naruto." Sasuke spoke delicately, careful that his tone did not come off rude, but caring and explanatory. "I just want you to know how I feel about you; I would never forgive myself if I didn't." He licked his lips in the moments silence before he felt the need to add, "Also, you should know that he isn't the only one who likes you." Sasuke was unable to say his name out loud, but he knew that Naruto would know who he was talking about.

Several minutes passed in silence where Naruto simply stared up into the bright, silver light of the moon. After biting his lip, and taking several deep breaths through his mouth, a look resembling relief crossed his face, though it remained shrouded in grief.

"I can't handle a relationship right now, or for a while at least. I need to get over Sai, and think about a lot of things." Naruto turned slightly so that he could look at Sasuke fully for the first time. "But I would really appreciate having a friend. I think I could handle that much." A small sparkle entered the previously heartbroken eyes as a ghost of his goofy grin lifted the corners of his pink lips. The look only lasted a moment before the sadness returned, but Sasuke was glad to cause the blonde even a moment's happiness.

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Several minutes passed in silence. Both boys swung quietly, merely pushing themselves back and forth with their legs.

Naruto's mind was still running in squiggly circles. _I have been on a fucking rollercoaster today. First I find out my, now ex, boyfriend is cheating on me, and now I find out that Sasuke, someone who has only ever been a jerk to me…likes me? This is so much to process right now. I still can't stop thinking about Sai…Why did he do that to me…is it me? Is it something I did? Was I not a good enough boyfriend…I thought I was decent enough…I thought I was serious…I thought_ we_ were serious…I'm so confused…I wonder what he's thinking about…Naruto! Stop thinking like that! Yes he cheated on you but that does not mean it had anything to do with you…it says more about his character than yours…but then why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like he tore out my heart, ripped it to shreds and put it back in my ribs? I'm surprised it still beats… I didn't think it was possible for a broken heart to keep beating…_

"Do you want to go back to the apartments?" Sasuke asked quietly, breaking the long silence. Naruto realized that Sasuke had been looking at him with a raised eyebrow for some time now, obviously worried about his wellbeing.

"Not really." Naruto said, shaking his head slightly. "I don't think I can face my apartment quite yet…" He ran a hand through his hair, trying to push the annoying hairs off his forehead.

"Do you want me to leave you alone then…?" Sasuke hesitantly began to rise from his swing as he spoke.

"No!" Naruto said a little too loudly, causing Sasuke to drop back down into his seat. "I know it's selfish, but I don't want to be alone right now…" _I would lose it again if I were to be left alone…or worse I might end up running back to Sai on impulse…It's definitely better if I'm around someone sane right now… And I really don't _want_ him to leave…I actually really like his company…_

"It's no problem; I'll stay with you for a while longer. I don't mind." Naruto could see the hint of kindness in those dark eyes, just the smallest hint of a smile on the pale lips.

It was in that moment that Naruto decided that the cause for Sasuke's sudden kindness did not matter. If a friendly demon was possessing Sasuke, and chose Naruto as his next target, then he would accept it. Naruto needed a friend now more than ever; he could not be meticulous with his suitors. Besides that, when he looked into Sasuke's bottomless eyes, he felt like they _could_ be friends. There was something in those deep pits that spoke to him on a deeper level than simply his physical shell. No matter how ridiculously stupid they started out, or how much they used to despise each other, there was obviously something beneath their surface. Naruto could feel something _more_ in his stomach when those eyes were on him full of concern. _Yes, there is definitely something there between us…it just isn't something I can deal with right now… I also thought Sai and I had something, but I turned out to be very wrong about that…I don't even know the first thing about him…He probably has an interesting history…like me…maybe…maybe right now, and when we first met, I was just attracted to the allure of his mystery…_

_I do remember a time when I thought about him a lot…but I simply attributed it to the possibility that we were destined to be enemies. I mean, right after we met I probably endangered his life ten times…and he seemed so hateful… Maybe we're supposed to be more than that… Who am I to question fate or destiny? Stranger people have ended up together… You can't question who you're meant to be with…but at this moment…I'm not ready for it…for him…_

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_**Author's Note:**_

So we took two steps forward…and one step back. Sorry about playing with your emotions…but I couldn't realistically have Naruto go straight from Sai to Sasuke with no middle ground. But we've been on an emotional rollercoaster haven't we? Was I the only one who just sobbed through the last chapter and like half of this one? It's just so sad! Poor Naru is heartbroken and no one can help him!

What did you guys think? I'm sorry that they still aren't together, but I promise that they will be eventually, this is a SasuNaru and me after all (I _have_ to have a happy ending, or else I don't function). But let me know what you thought by means of a review or a tweet to ** EricaLorena93** please! Knowing that you guys like these stories helps me to update faster, so if you like this you have to tell me. Or you can always send me inspiration by means of making me fanart!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and hopefully more will be coming soon, until then you guys can check out my other stories, you know where to find them!

You guys are the best,

-_EricaLorena_


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